


Where the Sky Meets the Sea

by tuanpark



Category: K-pop, Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Attempt at Humor, BINSUNG WEDDING WEEK EXTRAVAGANZA, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Humor, Hwang Hyunjin is Whipped, Hyunjin is a Flirt, Hyunjin is a lil h-rny, I hope they don't turn you off!!!!, M/M, T because I mentioned nipples lmfao, T for trashmouth, The background relationships are very very minor, Weddings, more tags later probably
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-08
Updated: 2020-03-19
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:14:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 21,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22609105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tuanpark/pseuds/tuanpark
Summary: “I hate it here.”Grinning, he whispered to Seungmin. “You don’t hate it here.”Leaves rustled against the steadiness of the wind, but they were much too flimsy to put up a fight. They weren’t strong to begin with. Beachside chatter settled down as their surroundings began to dim. The loudest sounds were the crashing of waves against the shorefront and Hyunjin and Seungmin’s steady breathing.“No, I don’t.”Or Hyunjin is invited to his ex-boyfriend-now-good-friend's wedding week and ends up falling for one of the Best Men.
Relationships: Choi Soobin/Choi Yeonjun (Minor), Han Jisung | Han/Seo Changbin (Minor), Hwang Hyunjin/Kim Seungmin, Kim Woojin/Park Jisoo | Jihyo (Minor), Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 54
Kudos: 162





	1. Social Saturday

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, let's kick this off! I'm gonna try to update weekly so that by the time Hyunjin's birthday is here, the last chapter should be posted :D Inspired by a Larry Stylinson fic called [Escapade](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4034197?view_full_work=true).
> 
> Comments and kudos are very much appreciated! If you like this story, please give it a thumbs up! If you have comments, please don't hesitate to post in the comment section!
> 
> Follow me on my twitter [@seungminhot](https://twitter.com/seungminhot)
> 
>  **Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the characters, and all the scenes written are pure fiction.

Hyunjin despised international airports.

There was something about the building filled with the buzz of busy people that irked him to a tee. Perhaps it was the way people sneezed and refused to cover their mouth. The building was basically a greenhouse for germs and illnesses for crying out loud. Or maybe it was the irritating bawling of the children who were refused silly things like candies or iPads. Gosh, Hyunjin hated kids, especially ones who cried easily (which was to say, all of them).

The lines take absolutely forever unless he was lucky or paid for first class, which was not ideal for an impatient man like Hyunjin. The foods and drinks were mediocre despite their spiked-up prices. The wifi sucked. Not to mention the fact that the airport oozed stressful energy from each individual, Hyunjin was more than thrilled when he finally had a chance to leave.

Several hours of waiting, and waiting, and flying, and more waiting was enough for the 26-year old, thank you very much. It was still early local time when Hyunjin landed, eyes barely getting used to the bright lights of the airport before he was being escorted to a van.

Hyunjin was on his way to a wedding week. _A wedding week_. Hyunjin’s ex-boyfriend had invited him to the special day, and despite their history, it seemed that Changbin valued their friendship enough to provide him an invitation. Why Changbin needed one whole week for his closest family and friends to marry the love of his life was beyond Hyunjin’s comprehension. But hey, when one of the richer people in the west side of Seoul marries one of the richer people in the east side, it was bound to be a huge thing.

The wind whipped past his hair when he lugged his belongings from the van to the ferry that led to the island. How Changbin and his fiancé managed to pay for a whole week of island activities was beyond Hyunjin. They were somewhere in the Eastern shore of the Gulf of Thailand, and it took about half an hour to travel from the mainland to the wedding destination.

Another half hour of doing nothing. Peachy. Hyunjin itched for something to do. Upon settling on the deck with all of his baggage, Hyunjin immediately went to the bar and ordered himself a glass of whatever alcohol they sold. One ferry ride, two glasses of martinis, and a handful of flirting with the bartender later, Hyunjin found himself anchored at the exotic island.

He had to admit, he was impressed. With the sun out and the skies mostly clear, this place was easily one of the most beautiful tourist spots he had laid eyes on. The water was a gradient of deep azure from the far reef to a Caribbean blue on the shore. A line of palm trees stood tall against the mountainous background, and there were a couple of horses, _horses_ , strolling on the beachside. Even the light sand felt cushiony on his feet when he stepped on it.

Straw hat on and eyes eclipsed in a pair of sunglasses, Hyunjin called one of the helpers in gray and white to assist him in bringing down items. Hyunjin thanked him and gave a small tip before rolling his way to the hotel. Once he entered, he pushed his shades to his hair and made a bee line for the front desk.

“Good morning!” The lady in white and gray said with a smile far too wide for the early hours. “Welcome to _Hôtel Le Vent d’Est_. How may I help you?”

Hyunjin cringed. Why was there a French hotel in a remote Thailand island? Hyunjin went along with it and so did the writer. After telling the hostess his name and the wedding invitation, Hyunjin was granted a key to his room which seemed to be on the third floor if the number was anything to go by. Scanning the area for some workers, Hyunjin went up to a good-looking male clad in white and gray.

“Hello!” Hyunjin waved to the man, plastering his go-to friendly smile. “Could you kindly help me with my luggage? I’m a little checked out from all the traveling I’ve done.”

The staff member’s downturned eyes were a deep brown, nicely shaped eyebrows shooting up upon Hyunjin’s introduction. He seemed to be around Hyunjin’s age and sported a finely shaped jawline. Split down the middle, his hair was a mix between tawny and tan, perhaps even a dark blond if the sun hit it just right. Oh, he was pretty.

Perhaps Hyunjin could offer him a big tip if he got to see the male’s muscles hauling Hyunjin’s luggage to his room.

“Sorry,” the helper deadpanned, a challenge glinting in his dark eyes. “I don’t work here.”

Instantly, Hyunjin was reduced to a mess of syllables and a hefty amount of embarrassment. “Oh my goodness! I’m so sorry- I didn’t mean. You’re wearing the staff colors is all. But I shouldn’t have-”

The other man gave him a funny, almost judgmental look. And Hyunjin felt himself flushing.

“I’ll just-” A gulp. “Go now.”

Hyunjin scurried to the elevator with his rapidly diminishing self-esteem. His neck felt hot and he would rather just cool off by going to his hotel room. The soft elevator music didn’t calm him down, and he found himself plopping onto the bed as soon as he slid the key card to his hotel room.

One week here, it would be fine. Turning to his side, he noticed a placard and a note on the bedside table decorated with the same flowery writing and design on his wedding invitation. After close examination, Hyunjin realized it was a letter from the couple and the itinerary for the week!

He read the note first.

_Happy greetings, loved ones!_

_Standing on the table in front of you is the schedule for the week! Every day is jam-packed with adventures and activities specifically designed to get to know everybody. Obviously, they are not mandatory, but we would love to spend each day leading to our forever day with all of you! Please attend as many as possible as it would make our hearts full of delight and glee. But no pressure!_

_If you feel like taking a day off or simply spending the day just walking on the beach, please don’t hesitate to do so. If resting by the bar and people-watching is your kind of thing, the lounge downstairs is open bar._

_Let’s spread laughter and cheer!_

_Lots of love from the almost-married couple,  
Changbin & Jisung_

Hyunjin picked up the placard with the events. His eyes bulged from all the activities listed on there. They truly weren’t joking when they said that every day is jam-packed.

✽❀✿❀✽

!!!BINSUNG WEDDING WEEK EXTRAVAGANZA!!!

❀ **Social Saturday:**  
BBQ Lunch  
Day at the Beach  
Beachside Bonfire

❀ **Sporty Sunday:**  
Fruit-Picking Contest  
Beach Volleyball Tournament  
Yoga in the Sunset

❀ **Mellow Monday:**  
Spa Day  
Surfing Lessons  
Couple’s Horseback Riding

❀ **Tango Tuesday:**  
Game Room Entertainment  
Dance Lessons  
Movie Night

❀ **Wine Night Wednesday:**  
Bird Watching  
Wine Tasting  
Midnight Karaoke

❀ **Tasty Thursday:**  
Flavors of the World  
Wedding Rehearsal  
(Open Night)

❀ **Forever Day Friday:**  
Best Day of our Lives

✽❀✿❀✽

Hyunjin pinched the bridge of his nose. He barely knew anyone here. If he attended all of the events, he would have to spend every waking hour with the couple’s friends and families. While Hyunjin wasn’t at all socially awkward, he wasn’t quite certain if he was ready to socialize every second of every day.

The first event was already in two hours’ time, and Hyunjin decided he’d use one of those hours to have a little nap and charge himself up so that he’d be in prime condition for mingling.

When he woke, it was to the ringing of his alarm. He changed his clothes so that he was ready for a day at the beach. In the mirror stood his reflection, donning a thin tank top under an unbuttoned floral shirt. His short shorts showcased his long, pale legs, his feet supported by some casual slides. He chose to forego his straw hat but kept his shades, placing them neatly on his jet black hair before applying an ample amount of sunblock to every inch of his skin.

Hair carefully swept and lips lathered in balm, Hyunjin made his way down to the lobby. Upon exiting the elevator, he instantly saw Changbin’s figure along with his fiancé. With his friendliest smile, he marched to them with a little skip to his step.

“Binnie!” Hyunjin called once he was of earshot. Both heads turned simultaneously in a creepily synchronized manner. Similar to Hyunjin, they were both wearing traditional vacation clothes except Changbin forewent the undershirt and Jisung wore a floppy sun hat that looked enormous on his small head. The two had matching button ups, complete with the same styling and colors, and if Hyunjin didn’t think it looked cute on them he would’ve gagged from the tackiness a while ago.

“Hyunjin!” Changbin replied, enveloping him in a warm hug. “So glad you could make it.”

“Of course,” Hyunjin answered as he pulled back. “Wouldn’t want to miss you finally tying the knot and all.” He then turned to the other man, height similar to Changbin’s but donned shocking orange hair under his hat and a friendlier aura. “And you must be the lovely Jisung. Nice to finally meet you.”

Jisung gave him a blinding smile and shook his hand. “Likewise. Refreshments are out just past the patio. Help yourself to whatever you want.”

Hyunjin thanked both of them and went ahead. The sun was up now that it was a little past noon, and the heat was a little overwhelming to say the least. The air was crisp though, and there was a gentle breeze that would pass by every now and then so it could’ve been worse.

The first event was already lively. Tables upon tables had been set up along with large umbrellas to block the sun. Settled on the tabletops were the usual snacks like chips, fresh fruits, hotdogs and what seemed to be veggie crackers. There were a few coolers under the table, and Hyunjin assumed each had various drinks that ranged from orange juice to fancy Belgian beer.

A couple of children were already running around in the sand, playing some sort of game that Hyunjin was much too old to know the name of. Teenagers were lying on some of the chaise lounges that were sporadically placed, either texting or sucked into their phones. Some adults were standing by, beers or some sort of cocktail from the nearby bar in hand. Hyunjin recognized some of them, most specifically Changbin’s parents, Yeonjun and his partner Soobin who were Changbin’s close friends, as well as Minho and Chan.

Chan was nearly shirtless flipping burgers and sausages on the grill while Minho was conversing with a couple of people that Hyunjin wasn’t familiar with. He decided that he’d join them later and would first greet Yeonjun and Soobin who he hadn’t seen in quite a while. He walked up to them, but not before grabbing an ice-cold beer first.

“Is that our little beanstalk?” Yeonjun called to him as Hyunjin uncapped his drink. The bottle felt cool in his hand and hiss of cap as he opened it sounded refreshing. Hyunjin gave Yeonjun an unamused look as he strolled over and pulled Soobin into a hug.

“Funny,” Hyunjin said sarcastically before embracing Yeonjun roughly.

“It’s been a while,” Soobin commented with a smile, hair dancing in the breeze.

“Sure has. You two seem to be just the same,” he commented before turning to the tallest male. “Hope Yeonjun isn’t giving you too much trouble.”

“Yah!” Yeonjun swatted him on the shoulder as Hyunjin and Soobin erupted into laughter. “Just the same? You don’t notice anything different?”

The tone in which Yeonjun said it indicated that there was something to be observed. The eldest boy took a chug of his beer, a glint shining in his eye. Watching him, Hyunjin finally noticed and he couldn’t help his jaw from dropping. Sitting pristinely on Yeonjun’s ring finger was a silver band that sparkled under the sunlight.

Hyunjin gasped, hand covering his mouth from shock.

“Oh my goodness! Congratulations,” Hyunjin said sincerely, and they did a toast to the couple’s engagement before drinking mouthfuls of the beer. “Who asked? How? Tell me everything!”

A story and a beer and half later, Hyunjin was feeling good and sociable. He congratulated the couple once more before moving onto speak to Chan. The Australian still looked as good as Hyunjin remembered, front muscles shining with sun cream under the harsh light. Wearing an unbuttoned top, Chan had a spatula in one hand and a beer in the other when Hyunjin approached him.

“Channie,” Hyunjin greeted, going around the grill to give the elder a hug. If Hyunjin held on a tad too tightly and a bit longer than usual, that was all Hyunjin’s business and nobody else’s.

“Long time no see,” Chan rumbled, giving him that handsome crooked smile that used to bring Hyunjin to nervous puddles.

“How have you been?” Hyunjin asked coyly, taking a gulp of his drink to quench his thirst. “Still looking fine, I see. You’ve been working out lately?”

“Not any more than usual,” Chan snickered, shaking his head. “Goodness, you’re still as flirty as ever.”

“What can I say, it’s a personality,” Hyunjin giggled. “Old habits die hard, I suppose.”

“I suppose,” Chan shrugged. “So, what are you feeling like? Ribs? A burger? Hotdog on a bun?”

Hyunjin tossed the options in his head. He would be spending a week here, why not have a fun week right? Feeling a little courageous from the bit of alcohol he drank, Hyunjin went for it.

“How about an Australian sausage on my bed?”

Chan’s laugh was loud and booming, and Hyunjin felt good at eliciting that noise from the older. He gave himself a mental pat on the back as he noticed the shorter man’s slightly flustered cheeks. Hyunjin would have loved to pounce him right then and there but-

“Here you go, Chris.”

_Hold on._

_Chris?_ Nobody called Chan ‘Chris’ unless they were incredibly close to him, and even then, it was few and far between. Even Changbin called him Chan whenever they hung out together all those years ago. _So who the fuck?_

A tall male handed Chan another bottle as Chan disposed of his empty one. Chan gave the intruder a dimpled smile as he grabbed the offered drink, the top still fogging up with chill.

“Thanks, Cupcake.”

Cupcake?

Was that a nickname?

In any case, cupcake man had an unimpressed expression as he exchanged looks with Hyunjin. He’d seen that deadpan look somewhere. Upon second inspection, Hyunjin did a double take.

“You!” Hyunjin gasped. “I- what are you doing here?”

“I happen to be a big part of this event,” the man retorted, raising his eyebrows at Hyunjin for the second time that day. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh? You two have met?” Chan piped up from the side. Hyunjin shook his head.

“Not quite,” Hyunjin winced as he said it, remembering how he had assumed the other male was part of the hotel staff. The sun suddenly felt a little hot, and Hyunjin kind of wanted the beach sand to swallow him whole.

“In that case, Hyunjin, this is Seungmin. Seungmin, this is Hyunjin.”

Seungmin made a choking sound as he drank whatever he was drinking. It didn’t seem alcoholic. “You’re the infamous ex?”

 _Infamous?_ “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing,” Cupcake, or, well, Seungmin said. This time, Seungmin wasn’t in that white and gray get up that the staff wore. Instead, he sported a floppy sun hat that covered most of his face in shade. His hair was still split down the middle and he wore a plain white t-shirt under a patterned button up that was clasped to the second button. His shorts were wide on his legs, his feet covered by some funky, brown river sandals that was suited more for the elderly. His fashion was outlandish, a little quirky, yet he somehow pulled it off nicely. “Anyway, pleasure to meet you, Hyungjin. And Chris, if you need anything else, text or call me.”

 _Hyungjin?!_ What in the world? And did he just send Chan a wink? Hyunjin simply gaped like a fish, speechless, before Chan brought him out of his daze.

“Cute, isn’t he?”

“That’s one word for it,” Hyunjin replied, taking another mouthful of beer before turning to Chan. “Say, I couldn’t help but notice that he called you Chris.”

Chan chuckled to himself, turning his attention to the meat on the grill. “Yeah, he does that.”

Hyunjin perked up at this. “Oh. Are you two together then?”

Chan ended up dropping a burger and released a not-so-manly yelp as the piece of meat sizzled on his toe before he kicked at it.

“Shit- Are you okay?” Hyunjin asked.

“Yeah. I’ll be fine. I think,” Chan hissed as he picked up the offending meat with a napkin and threw it in the trash. Had Hyunjin’s question taken the older by surprise? He didn’t have to ponder more as Chan answered him quickly. “As for your question, no, we’re not together.”

Hyunjin thought he heard Chan mutter what sounded like ‘I wish’ under his breath, but he couldn’t be too sure. He decided to drop the subject.

They exchanged a few more words before Chan offered him his food. “Here you go, an ‘Australian sausage on my bed.’”

When Hyunjin looked down, it was to see a hotdog on a bun. Two of them. Laughing together, Hyunjin thanked him and moved on to converse with Minho. He ended up meeting most of the couple’s close friends.

There was Woojin and Jihyo, a happy couple who were radiant by themselves but seemed to shine twice as much when together. There was Felix, Chan’s cousin who was very close with Changbin and Jisung. Hyunjin assumed that he was the Best Man along with Chan. Though not together, Dahyun and Chaeyoung came in a pair, and they were striking when stood next to each other as one of them sported long and wavy, blonde hair while the other wore a contrasting, shoulder-length black ones. The last one was Jeongin, apparently the youngest but Hyunjin noticed was the most demanding out of all of them.

When Hyunjin introduced himself, Felix and Woojin gave him a look that showed they were more intrigued than the rest. He paid it no mind, chalking it up to his buzz getting the better of him. In any case, Hyunjin genuinely liked all of them and was so into conversation that he didn’t even notice how much time was passing. The event went by quickly, with the invited group sort of splitting between the grooms’ family and their friends.

Hyunjin couldn’t help but notice that, every time he looked up, Seungmin would be talking to a different group entirely. Hyunjin wondered if he was perhaps the event organizer. Chatter seemed at a maximum as everyone was either finished eating or are playing some sort of game.

Changbin and Jisung showed up half an hour ago, but it wasn’t until now that they said a few words to their guests.

“Loved ones,” Jisung belted from near the patio to get everyone’s attention. The slew of guests slowly turned their attention to one of the grooms, the noise dissipating to a low chatter. “Thank you for being here with us today. I hope you enjoyed the grilling skills of our very own Christopher Bang Chan!”

Everyone cheered and turned to the man on the grill, who was giving the people waves and smiles.

Changbin clapped and continued where Jisung left off. “He’s one of the Best Men here along with Seungmin over there.” The happy couple gestured at said man, who was standing by the parents of the two grooms and grinning widely at the audience while waving. Hyunjin blinked. Seungmin was Jisung’s Best Man? Oh, dear, this was a lot more embarrassing that he first figured. Upon closer observation, he noticed that Changbin and Chan both wore unbuttoned tops, showcasing their pectoral and abdominal muscles, while Jisung and Seungmin hid under their floppy, sun hats.

He should’ve connected the dots.

“If you have any questions about the events, feel free to ask us or them as they were the ones who planned it all. If it weren’t for them, there would be no Binsung Wedding Week Extravaganza. So, cheers to them!”

Everyone held their drinks up and drank. The jovial spirit didn’t disperse as the day went on. Socializing was the key item in today’s itinerary. Hyunjin ended up spending most of his time running back and forth between Chan, Yeonjun and Soobin, and Minho’s large group.

Eventually though, they accumulated to just one fat group of friends that were close with Jisung and Changbin one way or another. Even Yeonjun, Soobin, and the two Best Men were dragged into it.

“So what do you know about that Seungmin guy,” Hyunjin whispered to Minho. The sun was slowly descending, painting the sky in beautiful shades of pink and orange. The breeze was picking up a little, but there was still a satisfying heat that warmed Hyunjin’s skin.

“Why?” Minho asked before giving him a knowing look. Oh no, Hyunjin knew that expression all too well. “Is our little Hyunjinnie interested?”

“No,” Hyunjin scoffed. He just wanted to know more about the guy, that was all. “There’s something about him that irks me.”

“Is it his lusciously healthy hair? He’s dyed it a couple of times already, and it still looks nice to touch.”

“No, it’s not that,” Hyunjin answered. Though he had to admit, the male’s hair did look nice. Perhaps Hyunjin should invest in a better-quality conditioner.

“Is it the way he resembles a meerkat when he smiles?”

“He smiles?”

Minho chuckled. “You think he’s hot, don’t you?”

Hyunjin sputtered. Yes. “No?”

“I should have known,” Minho commented with a smirk. His button nose was looking mighty inviting for a hard flick right about now. “If you thought Chan and Changbin were hot, you probably also found Seungmin attractive.”

“What do you mean?” Hyunjin asked, bringing his beer up to his lips once again. He didn’t know how many bottles he had gone through today, but that was fine. He wasn’t at all drunk.

“They all kind of exude this dual energy, you know? The type of confident hot guy aura mixed with awkward dork energy that seem to be a hit with all the genders.”

“I guess? But yes, tell me more about him.” Hyunjin wasn’t into him. He had barely met the guy. But despite Seungmin’s cold shoulder and their awkward first encounter, or perhaps because of it, Hyunjin wanted to make a finer impression of himself.

Minho scratched his chin. “Well, from what I know, he’s had two boyfriends and a girlfriend before. What his type is? I’m not certain. But I do think he’s single.”

“You _think_? Give me something more concrete,” Hyunjin sighed. “You’re no help, I swear.”

“I can find out for you if he’s taken or not,” Minho suggested. Hyunjin blanched. And before Hyunjin could even get a say, the elder was calling someone from across the group. “Hey, Felix.”

“Minho, don’t,” Hyunjin tried to muffle the elder but it was no use as Minho’s voice rang out. “That’s not necessary.”

But the elder ignored him.

“Is Seungmin single?”

The circle of friends was too engrossed in their own conversation to pay too much attention to what was currently going on. Hyunjin relaxed a little at this, but he didn’t stop his mission to stop Minho from speaking.

“Yeah?” Felix answered, carding his hand through his lilac hair. He had a narrow face that had a dusting of freckles and lips a perfect cupid’s bow. “Why? Who’s asking?”

Before Minho could answer, Hyunjin managed to restrain the elder from talking.

“Nobody!” Hyunjin assured. “Carry on.”

“O…kay?” Felix chuckled before turning back to Jeongin. Hyunjin gulped and slapped Minho’s shoulder.

“You’re such a pain in the ass, you know that?”

“Love me or hate me, you’re still obsessed with me,” Minho recited dramatically. He was unbelievable. Hyunjin shook his head and scanned around, wondering if Seungmin had caught the conversation. When they make the shortest eye contact, Seungmin quickly looked away and continued talking to Chan as if nothing was amiss. Hyunjin did the same.

The sun had gone down, and some of the guests dispersed to do their own thing. Hyunjin stayed put along with most of the people in their circle. It was time for the bonfire, and the thought of having a nice, hot flame to warm him up this evening was more than welcome.

Soon, Chan was able to get a fire started that steadily grew within seconds. There was a collective sigh as if the heat was long awaited by the people in their group. Seungmin was going around handing people metal sticks, and Hyunjin tried his best not to stare. And if he did, he attempted to make it look casual.

“Thanks,” Hyunjin drawled and fluttered his eyes when Seungmin gave him one.

“You’re welcome,” the other said, wholly unaffected.

“Cute hat,” Hyunjin commented, smiling. Seungmin merely gave him a nod and a short answer.

“Thanks, I hate it.”

Hyunjin mentally facepalmed as Seungmin continued with his task. Hyunjin was off his game. The breeze flew by and Hyunjin felt just the tiniest bit cold. Nothing he couldn’t handle.

Yeonjun and Soobin were all cuddled up from across the fire. Changbin and Jisung were being just as gross, sharing one blanket between their shoulders. Woojin was peppering Jihyo with cheek kisses and Felix was already hanging onto Jeongin, who was attempting to get away from the other’s advances. Dahyun and Chaeyoung were also all enjoying some body heat together. Hyunjin wanted to cuddle too. When he turned to Minho, the elder just gave him the stink eye.

“Don’t even think about it.”

Hyunjin deflated.

“Alright, everyone. Let’s make some s’mores!” Chan declared with a smile once Seungmin had finished giving everyone a metal stick. S’mores, apparently, was a popular North American tradition that was held during a campfire. The snack consisted of graham crackers, a bar of chocolate, and melted marshmallows. Chan explained that that was what the metal sticks were for.

Three rounds of s’mores later, Chan summoned a guitar. Hyunjin wondered how he was able to get that through airport security but didn’t question it when the Australian started strumming. Seungmin had gone to the front desk for small blankets, which were passed down so that each member of the circle could take one if they didn’t have any.

The moon began its ascension, and the brightness from the sky was replaced by the brightness on the beach. The fire was still crackling, embers floating into the atmosphere with each flicker. The ocean waves created a harmonic soothing sound that lulled everyone into a sense of peace and tranquility. Despite the light from the flame, the evening sky was at full glory tonight.

It was like a backdrop littered with twinkling stars and a rising crescent moon. Hyunjin had never seen so many stars decorating the sky this vibrantly because of the light pollution from Seoul. Suffice it to say that it totally captivated Hyunjin.

However, it was the two stars in front of him that truly took his breath away. Chan strummed his instrument, the first notes of _I’m Yours_ by Jason Mraz filling in the crisp evening air. Hyunjin couldn’t believe his eyes (and ears) when Seungmin started singing the first line.

Obviously he didn’t know much about the male, but Hyunjin couldn’t have pegged him as a singer. His voice had a beautiful color, rich without being too full, and bright without sounding too light. If Hyunjin could see voices, he would say that Seungmin’s voice was an alluring ruby red, not strident like orange but not dark like violet. Well-balanced.

With the whole circle swaying, the other members began to sing as well, Jisung and Woojin piping up with their warmer tones. Jihyo adding herself into the mix with her full voice. Even Jeongin, Minho, and Soobin chimed in during the chorus, their voices melding well into the melody of the others. Hyunjin was more than shocked. They were all good singers.

It was almost as if they were a bunch of idols spending a night in a fic.

When the song finished, everybody started clapping and Hyunjin was positive that his hands were the loudest as he mimicked the way Jeongin clapped like a seal.

“Woah,” Hyunjin whispered to Minho. “He’s a fantastic singer.”

“Thanks, I know I am,” Minho replied, snickering. Hyunjin ignored him as he thought of ways to capture Seungmin’s attention this week. It shouldn’t be too difficult seeing as their schedule was, as Changbin and Jisung put it, jam-packed with adventures and activities specifically designed to get to know everybody. And since Seungmin was one of the people who orchestrated the events, that most likely meant that he would be present in many of them, if not all. Deciding that he would be attending each of the events after all, Hyunjin smiled to himself.

Perhaps this week wouldn’t be as uneventful and anticlimactic as he thought it would be. He continued his conversation with Minho, Felix and Jeongin walking over to join them. They looked like a couple of magical faeries fluttering to Minho and Hyunjin with their respective lilac and pale pink hair.

They sing a few more songs, all slow and slightly melancholic, but that was totally fine because it suited Seungmin’s voice perfectly. As the fire dwindled, so did the rest of the group. One-by-one, people went inside to seek shelter from the increasingly cold temperature. And though Hyunjin wanted to be one of the last ones with Seungmin, his meatless body couldn’t take the cold anymore as he was forced to skip back to the hotel. He only spared the last few people a glance before he retreated to the warmth.

Making his way up to his room, Hyunjin ordered room service. An hour later, he was deep into the seafood selection provided by the Seo’s and Han’s while he watched romantic comedies on Netflix. He subconsciously took note of ways to approach Seungmin before heading to the shower to clean himself from the grime of being in the beach all day as well as cool off his tears. Soft romantic movies always were a weakness of his. Freshly showered and exhausted in all sense of the word, it took only a few minutes after he plopped down onto his bed for Hyunjin to fall asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aye! Day 1 of BINSUNG WEDDING WEEK EXTRAVAGANZA is finished! What do you think so far?!
> 
> Comments and kudos are very much appreciated! If you like this story, please give it a thumbs up! If you have comments, please don't hesitate to post in the comment section!
> 
> Follow me on my twitter [@seungminhot](https://twitter.com/seungminhot)


	2. Sporty Sunday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A sporty chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Completely unedited and a little late. I am sorry. To make up for it, it's 1k longer than initially planned! my updates are supposed to be 5k each, but this one stretched on and on. I could've stretched it more, honestly, but I'm tired. fsdkjhfj

When Hyunjin walked out of his hotel room the next day, he was greeted by a nice surprise.

Coming out from the room across his was none other than Seungmin.

“You’re rooming across from me?” Hyunjin asked with wide eyes.

“Remind me later so that I can ask to be moved,” Seungmin said haughtily before walking away with quick steps and an upturned chin. What the heck?!

Hyunjin chose to forego the Fruit Picking Contest in exchange for a big breakfast. Hotlinks were on the menu as well as fancy omelets complete with bell peppers, cheese, and parsley. Hyunjin ate some oatmeal too, adding some fruits in there to make it feel healthier even when he added three tablespoons of honey (which was two tablespoons too many). It seemed he wasn’t alone in skipping the event, seeing as Dahyun and Chaeyoung also did the same.

It was when the sun was high that things got interesting.

Right before noon, the guests were gathered up to the beachside. They knew what they were in for, nodding along as Chan explained how the next few hours were going to go down.

“So, you can either pair yourselves up, or we can pick someone for you,” Chan continued. People then started talking over each other and trying to make partnerships from the get-go. Hyunjin had to admit, he was also guilty of doing that, eyeing around to see who would make a good partner for him.

“I know you’re excited, but please folks, settle down!” Chan ordered, Seungmin also motioning for the audience to be quiet. “We still need to go over the rules!”

Seungmin then went over it in detail, outlining how it will be played in teams of two and rather than a best of 3 sets match, they only had time for 1 set for each group. He explained the number of times each team can touch the ball, etc. etc. and by this point, Hyunjin had stopped listening and started looking out for potential partners.

Preferably someone quick and agile, athletic and knows how to move their body. Crossing out the ones who have romantic partners, his first pick would probably be Chan, but the elder was way too far for Hyunjin to target. Minho would be his second choice, much easier to take a hold of.

“And there will be a grand prize for the lucky winners!” Seungmin’s artificial cheery voice rang out. “The winning pair will win a trip to-”

Chan made a drumming noise to accompany Seungmin’s announcement.

“-Jeju Island! A four-day trip with half price on housing. Food and drinks, not included.”

The crowd’s murmurs began to grow louder again, but Chan and Seungmin were able to handle it a lot more easily this time. All said and done, Chan wrapped it up by saying there will be at most 16 teams and that partners could be a mix of any gender.

“And start!”

It seemed as if the groups were almost predetermined though, because as soon as Chan initiated it, couples began to pair up. To Hyunjin’s left were Woojin and Jihyo, already stretching their quadriceps as if they were Olympic medalists. Soobin and Yeonjun immediately grabbed onto each other, taking turns cracking each other’s backs. Hyunjin was about to approach Minho, but the elder simply gave him a mischievous look before rushing up to Chan. Which, what the heck?

Jeongin had partnered up with Felix, while Chaeyoung and Dahyun were still attached at the hip. Looking around, it seemed everybody had partnered up except Hyunjin and Seungmin.

It could’ve been worse, Hyunjin thought. Bounding up to the male, Hyunjin plastered on his record winning smile. He’d brag that it won him a couple of awards in high school yearbooks, but that was neither here nor there.

“Looks like it’s going to be us two,” Hyunjin walked up to Seungmin with hands behind his head. Seungmin was still scanning around before releasing a sigh and eyeing Hyunjin.

“Looks like it,” Seungmin said in what Hyunjin liked to call a customer service voice. He then crossed his arms and leaned back in an attractive manner. “I don’t like to lose though, so I hope you play to win.”

Hyunjin measured Seungmin up in his mind. Up close like this, he realized that he was the tiniest bit taller than the other male.

“Don’t you worry your pretty little head,” Hyunjin commented, sliding his shades down and leering at Seungmin over them. “I’ve been told that I have a talent at handling balls.”

Seungmin’s eyes grew wide for a second before clicking his tongue and shaking his head. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

Hyunjin bit his lower lip, maintaining eye contact with the shorter male. “Better watch out then.”

Luckily for Hyunjin and Seungmin, they weren’t until fifth to play against a pair that Hyunjin was not familiar with. First up were Woojin and Jihyo, a dynamic couple, perhaps one that Seungmin and Hyunjin needed to pay attention to.

The spectators were allowed to watch from the side, either on beach towels or on the vinyl beach lounges. As such, Hyunjin and Seungmin were sharing a chaise lounge, Hyunjin with a beer in hand and Seungmin a Gatorade.

“Guess you’re not a fan of alcohol?” Hyunjin asked. Jihyo had just served an unreturnable, and Hyunjin made sure to watch out for that serve. Seungmin blinked at him before turning his attention back to the game.

“Not a fan of talking either, I see,” Hyunjin took a swig of his drink. “That’s alright. I can talk plenty for the both of us.”

Seungmin clapped when Jihyo set Woojin up for a smash that landed cleanly on their opponent’s side, the ball kicking up a cloud of sand where it bounced.

“I enjoy alcohol as much as the next person,” Seungmin shrugged, still not looking at Hyunjin. This really bugged the taller male for obvious reasons. “And I’m very selective with who I want to converse with.”

Hyunjin did a double-take and considered how minimal Seungmin’s answers had been, “So, I suppose I’m not the type of person you want to converse with then?”

Saying it dampened Hyunjin’s mood, and he found that maybe cracking Seungmin was a little more challenging than he previously assumed. Seungmin turned to him though, a puzzled look on his face.

“I’m conversing with you now, aren’t I?” He pointed out as he took a sip of his sports drink. Hyunjin nodded, which resulted in a flat smile from Seungmin. “Did it ever occur to you that it’s not my supposed lack of fondness for alcohol that’s unusual, but your excessive affinity to it?”

Hyunjin tilted his head, a smile playing on his lips. “Did you just call me an alcoholic?”

Seungmin chuckled to himself, looking around as if to check if anybody else heard Hyunjin’s response. “If that’s what you got out of that, then you’re completely missing my point.”

This time it was Hyunjin’s turn to laugh, light and loud and hopefully easy on the ears. He leaned a little into the other’s space. “Enlighten me, then. What was I supposed to gather from your cryptic talk?”

Setting his bottle down, Seungmin regarded Hyunjin in disbelief. The taller boy liked this. He took great pleasure in gathering people’s undivided attention, especially those who Hyunjin had an interest in.

“Truthfully, I thought I made my point very clear. You speak in assumption. Like ‘ _Guess you’re not a fan of alcohol? Seems like you’re not a fan of speaking either. I suppose you don’t like to converse with me then._ ’”

And then it lit in Hyunjin’s brain like a light bulb. “Oh, I get it! Like, don’t assume since it makes an ‘ass’ out of ‘u’ and ‘me’!”

Seungmin snorted. “You surprise me. I was going more for ‘don’t judge a book by its cover,’ but I guess that works too.”

Hyunjin surprised him? That was good, right?

“That’s good, right?”

“The surprise factor has its advantages and disadvantages,” Seungmin affirmed, considering Hyunjin with beaky lips. “Keeps me on my toes.”

Hyunjin was about to say more when the audience erupted in cheer. Both Seungmin and Hyunjin looked over and were shocked to see that the first game was already wrapping up. Woojin and Jihyo had pummeled their opponent, 21-13. Woojin was spinning Jihyo in a hug, and Hyunjin daydreamed of doing that Seungmin or Seungmin doing that to him. Maybe it will happen if they win, Hyunjin thought.

“I think we have to watch out for them,” Hyunjin whispered close to Seungmin, to which the other responded with a curt nod and sharp eyes on the winning team.

The next match went by in the same fashion.

Jeongin and Felix were struggling against Jisung’s sister and her husband, a sporty looking couple who could give any pair a hard time.

“They’re good,” Hyunjin commented from the side.

“Not as good as we’ll be though,” Seungmin said deliberately before pointing at the couple with the advantage. “Do you see how they separate the tasks?”

Hyunjin analyzed their play game and noticed that while they stayed on their respective sides, Jisung’s sister was slightly behind her husband. She was in charge of defending from the back, using her quickness and agility to dive for balls before they hit the ground. She also had a mean spike. Her husband used his height to block from the front, and took on a role that’s equally offensive and defensive. It also didn’t help that Jeongin was a little awkward with his body movements, not quite getting to the balls as quickly as he potentially could.

Hyunjin nodded.

“Well, we should do that too,” Seungmin declared, turning to the taller man. “What position do you want to take?”

Hyunjin was tossing the options when a thought popped into his head. He was still set on having a fun week. Feeling a little reckless from the beer, Hyunjin licked his lips and answered in a suggestive manner.

“Bottom.”

Seungmin blinked at him before sighing and turning to leave. Hyunjin quickly pulled at the young man’s arm to stop him from going away, erupting in giggles as he did so. “I’m just joking, Seungmin! Please, sit back down.”

“You’re beyond help,” Seungmin rolled his eyes and reluctantly sat down.

“In all seriousness, I think I could do well as the blocker. My height could be useful,” Hyunjin suggested and stretched out his arms and legs. “Plus, I have long limbs!”

“I’ll be the back defense and spiker then,” Seungmin rubbed his hands together as Hyunjin gulped more of his beer.

Jeongin and Felix ended up succumbing to their opponent, their score coming up to a mere 15-21. Seungmin and Hyunjin gave them reassuring high fives, but it wasn’t necessary. The pair were still smiles and laughter despite the loss.

Chaeyoung and Dahyun were winning their round, but Hyunjin was too busy paying attention to Minho and Chan. Since they were up next, the two were stretching at the side while Dahyun and Chaeyoung served, dived, and spiked. Hyunjin noticed that Seungmin’s eyes would wander over there from time to time, no doubt enjoying the view of two very beautiful men showcasing their muscles on full display.

Chan was shirtless and wore black shorts that hugged his muscular bottom in the best way. His back muscles were glinting in the sunlight, surely shining with the sun cream that he slathered all over his body. Minho, on the other hand, donned an unbuttoned shirt that showcased his scrumptious pectorals and the cutest little tummy. With pink shorts that left very little to the imagination, he did some runner stretches that bulged his leg muscles and Hyunjin almost found himself salivating in public.

It seemed that Seungmin had the same idea as he too couldn’t take his eyes off the way Minho would squat down occasionally.

“Enjoying the view?” Hyunjin teased.

“Mind your own business, you noodle boy,” Seungmin huffed, stealing his eyes away from the stretching pair. He stared at the match blankly now, not at all looking like he was ogling Minho and Chan just moments before.

Hyunjin giggled. Noodle boy? He hadn’t heard that one before.

“I don’t blame you. They’re quite an attractive pair, no?”

When it was Chan and Minho’s turn to compete, Hyunjin and Seungmin did their stretching on the side. On the ground holding hands and using their feet as leverage, Seungmin pulled Hyunjin to stretch their inner thighs. They were perfect for each other as Seungmin’s legs and arms were neither too long nor too short for Hyunjin.

“Who is it we’re up against?” Hyunjin questioned as he maneuvered Seungmin for the warm-up.

“Jisung’s cousins,” Seungmin muttered with a strained voice. “But if we play our game as we talked about, we should sail right through.”

Minho and Chan proved to be too good for their opponents, thrashing them with an astounding 21-11, with Minho setting up Chan for a spike on match point. Seungmin and Hyunjin applauded the other two, congratulating them on their win before taking on the court.

“Okay, noodle boy. Try your best to block their spikes and we should win the match handily.”

Hyunjin nodded.

The first couple of points went by in the same manner, Seungmin serving the ball well, the other team failing to produce a good return, and both Hyunjin and Seungmin taking advantage of this to set up their offense.

However, their partnership became rocky when both of them lunged for a ball at the same time, which in hindsight could have been a good idea but just ended with them tangling their arms and being unable to hit the ball. They crash into the sand, Hyunjin making sure to close his eyes and mouth in case any grains had the devious thought of flying in there.

“What are you doing?” Seungmin demanded as soon as he sat up, dusting himself off. “That was totally my ball.”

Hyunjin was surprised. He noticed that Seungmin was a serious player, but he didn’t realize it was to this extent.

“Let’s shout then. If you’re going to get it, just yell ‘mine!’ and I’ll get out of your way,” Hyunjin suggested.

Their play stayed solid, and their solidness paid off as Hyunjin made the winning block to defeat their opponents with a 21-16 scoreline.

Hyunjin held up his hand after they won match point, but Seungmin seemed reluctant to connect their palms as he did so.

“Just do it, hotshot. My hands don’t bite,” Hyunjin smirked. Seungmin’s face was impassive as he clapped Hyunjin’s hand in midair.

Their half of the draw didn’t have the same type of skill difference the other half featured. Instead, Soobin and Yeonjun scraped by with a 21-19 victory, while Changbin’s sister and her husband came back from two match points with a grueling 23-21 triumph. Changbin and Jisung were surprisingly good, despite neither of them being taller than 5’8”. They were able to outplay their opponents and won 21-15.

“We’ll probably be playing them in the semifinals,” Seungmin whispered to Hyunjin.

“You think we’ll be making it to the semifinals?”

Seungmin turned to him with a raise of his brow. “You don’t think so?”

The next round was an absolute battle. Woojin and Jihyo were up against Jisung’s sister and husband, both teams seemingly experienced with the sport. Like Jisung’s sister, Jihyo was defending the outer part of the court while Woojin and the husband hovered near the net in case a quick block was necessary.

A couple of unreturned serves came from Jihyo, giving them the lead at 12-10. There were a lot of long rallies, almost all of them ending with a spike or a drop shot. In the end, Woojin and Jihyo’s teamwork proved to be too much for their opponent as they edged them out with a 21-19 victory.

Jihyo jumped into Woojin’s awaiting arms when Woojin shot the final spike, Jisung’s sister and husband handling their defeat with incredible sportsmanship. The next match was quite lopsided. It was Chaeyoung and Dahyun against Minho and Chan, but the persistent duo was just no match for Minho and Chan’s athleticism, with the boys grabbing a healthy 21-17 win.

In no time, it was Seungmin and Hyunjin’s turn. They were up against Soobin and Yeonjun, both of whom were taller than Seungmin and Hyunjin.

“That doesn’t matter,” Seungmin declared in their partner huddle. “We have the brains. We have the plays down. We just need to focus on a little bit of teamwork.”

Hyunjin nodded, “We can do this.”

Seungmin gave him a tight smile.

The game started with Seungmin once again using the jump serve beautifully, starting with a nice consistent toss followed by a resounding _smack_. They get up into a quick 8-2 lead, Hyunjin staying away from Seungmin’s rather explosive style of play. But it was apparent that all the running was having a toll on the younger as the game went on.

Their playstyle was steady, and though it was obvious that the two teams were about equal in terms of skill, it was Seungmin’s quick thinking that made the difference. And thus, the match ended with a very close 21-19 with Seungmin faking a spike and tapping the ball over a jumping Soobin and into the open court instead.

They shook Soobin and Yeonjun’s hand, with the couple praising them for a good match. Seungmin and Hyunjin thanked them as well, the former sounding more exhausted than the latter. As soon as they were finished, Hyunjin then pulled Seungmin to the bar, ordering an ice-cold Gatorade for the younger boy.

“Aren’t you overexerting yourself?” Hyunjin asked, unsure how to take care of Seungmin without overstepping. They’ve only known each other for a day and a half after all.

“Does it matter?” Seungmin sassed, uncapping the sports drink instantly. “I want to win.”

“I do too. Which is why I think you should let me help more, or else you’ll run out of gas and we’ll end up losing in the final.”

Seungmin smirked. “You think we’ll make it to the finals?”

Hyunjin shrugged. “We’re in the semis, aren’t we? What’s another match?”

On the court, Changbin and Jisung were having a fierce battle with Changbin’s sister and her fiancé. And though Seungmin mentioned earlier that they would probably play against Jisung and Changbin in the semifinals, it was proving to be the other case. Changbin’s sister was able to anticipate most of Changbin’s moves and though the male wasn’t showing it, Hyunjin knew deep down that Changbin was becoming annoyed. However, it seemed like Jisung was able to read it too as he started rubbing Chagbin’s back and whispering to him what Hyunjin assumed was a pep talk between lovers.

Perhaps a sexual act tonight that they have yet to try? Hyunjin knew Changbin liked that type of spontaneity. And when Changbin began to smile and look energized, Hyunjin knew then that Jisung was good for him.

Regardless, the almost-wedded couple lost, the last point finishing when Jisung’s spike was blocked by his soon-to-be sister-in-law’s husband. The match ended at 21-18.

“Looks like we’re facing that duo,” Hyunjin nudged Seungmin. “Do you think we’ll be ready?”

“Just follow my plans and we should be fine.”

Hyunjin felt uncertain but did not voice it.

The first semifinal was between Chan and Minho and Woojin and Jihyo. Chan and Minho still looked like Greek Gods in their get up, all chiseled abs and toned muscles. Woojin and Jihyo looked just as intimidating.

As usual, Jihyo was serving with pinpoint accuracy. Hyunjin presumed that Jihyo and Seungmin probably had the best serves in the group. Minho blocked and dived. Chan spiked and defended. But it was becoming noticeable that Woojin’s height and Jihyo’s agility gave them a slight advantage. Woojin being able to block well, despite Chan’s ability to jump like a frog.

Sooner or later, the couple was up 23-22 with Minho serving match point down. Hyunjin held his breath as soon as the ball was launched. And like a play from the handbook, Jihyo received it well, Woojin set her up, and Jihyo did a running start before giving the ball a soft lob over Chan and into the corner.

Just like that, the Woojin and Jihyo were into the finals while Minho and Chan fell just a tad short. The audience’s applause roared in the afternoon air.

“They’re too good,” Hyunjin sighed.

“All teams have weaknesses,” Seungmin pointed out with a chilling tone. “We just have to find it.”

And then Seungmin and Hyunjin were on the court, Changbin’s sister and her husband shaking their hands from the other side of the net. It looked like Changbin’s sister was only effective against Changbin because she was used to his style of play. Hyunjin and Seungmin simply played their game, with Hyunjin using his long limbs to block and Seungmin running around the back to retrieve all the balls. It didn’t take long before Hyunjin was serving with a rather hefty lead at 19-14.

The last few points were quick affairs, with each team pouring out a couple of good plays which ended up with a victory for Seungmin and Hyunjin. Hyunjin held up his hand after they won, this time Seungmin easily finding Hyunjin’s palm with zero hesitancy.

“Into the final we go,” Hyunjin singsonged. They were allowed a ten-minute break, but that wouldn’t eliminate the fact that they were at a huge disadvantage since they were fresh from a match. Refilling their tanks with a banana and power drinks, Hyunjin and Seungmin paced to the court while Woojin and Jihyo advanced with a jog, perhaps to look intimidating. Boy, was it working.

“I knew you guys would be in the final from the very beginning,” Jihyo commented while they shook hands. “You guys were too good, especially you Seungmin.”

“We knew you would be the pair to watch out too,” Seungmin replied. “And here we are!”

“Ready?” Woojin asked.

They all nodded in affirmation. Hyunjin and Seungmin lost the coin toss, which meant that they would be starting with Jihyo’s blazing serve.

The game was off to a quick start, with Seungmin and Hyunjin lagging with a 2-7 scoreline. Maybe they won’t be getting that Jeju trip after all. When another spike rocketed past them, Hyunjin went up to Seungmin with a pat on the shoulder.

“Hey,” he called softly, huddling into him so that everyone else will fade into the background. “I know you think you have to do it all on your own, but I’m also here.”

“I trust my abilities,” Seungmin countered, looking a little put-off. Hyunjin didn’t comment on the unspoken snub.

“I’m not saying you shouldn’t put your trust into your skill. I know you’re good. _You_ know you’re good,” Hyunjin said, poking Seungmin on the chest with each syllable. And then he brings that same hand to his own chest. “But trust in me too. You can’t beat them all by yourself, Seungmin. Let me help you before you completely run out of gas.”

Seungmin bit his lips but agreed.

And it was as if a switch was flipped, and Hyunjin and Seungmin were working fluidly. Flawlessly. Seungmin didn’t cover more than he needed to, Hyunjin assisting him however way he could. They were still down 14-12 when Seungmin gestured for Hyunjin to come over.

The younger boy whispered about how Woojin’s positioning allowed for a lot of room down the line, and they used that to their advantage. However, Woojin caught on when a couple of spikes down the line flew past him. They were 19-19 and Jihyo serving when things got intense.

Hyunjin was panting. Seungmin's sweat was glinting off him like diamonds. Woojin was breathing heavily as well. Jihyo, though looking like she was also running out of energy, performed a very unorthodox serve. Her ball went up unbelievably high in the air, disappearing into the blinding sunlight. She must have used an incredible amount of topspin seeing as it was projected to plummet down inside the court. Hyunjin only ended up grazing the ball as it came down quickly with the added gravitational acceleration and the annoying sunlight in the way.

Jihyo and Woojin clapped each other’s hands. He looked at Seungmin for an answer as they switched positions.

“It’s a sky ball serve,” Seungmin clarified. “It’s challenging, but the trick is to keep your eye on the ball and move with it.”

“What the fuck? That’s some professional beach ball shit,” Hyunjin huffed as he got in place.

“You’re not wrong.”

And then Jihyo was getting ready to serve. Just like the last point, she created a lot of topspin and fired the ball high into the sky. Seungmin did as he said, concentrating on the ball and mirroring it with both arms already jutted out.

Seungmin received it shakily but it was enough for Hyunjin to be able to provide a good set. Seungmin ran up, his arms working like a whiplash into a spike, but Jihyo guessed correctly and dived into the sand. She got it up miraculously, Woojin setting it up, and Jihyo going into a fast jog.

Since Jihyo was headed for Seungmin, and the male was already near the net, Hyunjin had no choice but to back down and let Seungmin take care of blocking. Jihyo spiked and Hyunjin’s body reacted immediately. Unlike movies, it wasn’t in slow motion. If anything, the point felt sped up. He dived arms first into the sand, but even with his instant reaction and lengthy limbs, the ball hit the sand and the match was over. They had lost 21-19.

The audience erupted, and Hyunjin’s chest sank. He wasn’t able to reach it in time. He couldn’t even bear to turn over and look Seungmin in the face. All that bullshit about trusting in Hyunjin turned out to be their downfall. How would he be able to face Seungmin now, knowing he was the lone cause of their loss?

Hyunjin twisted onto his back, arm blocking out the midday sun. He felt Seungmin bend down next to him though, prying the older’s arm out.

“Get up,” Seungmin said with a smile. “We have to shake their hands.”

“I made you lose,” Hyunjin frowned. He had long lost the habit of crying easily, leaving that back in his early twenties, but looking at Seungmin now, dappled in the glow of the afternoon light, Hyunjin’s eyes felt rather itchy. “It was all my fault. I even said trust me and shit, and I just lost it for us.”

Seungmin snickered, causing Hyunjin to pout even more deeply.

“It’s not funny,” Hyunjin chewed on his lip to stop it from quivering.

“I know it’s not,” Seungmin gave him a soft expression. “But you didn’t make us lose. If anything, you made us close to winning. If you hadn’t told me to trust you, if you didn’t give me the assurance that you’d be getting the balls I couldn’t, we would have lost the championship match easily. But because you eased my burden, I didn’t run out of gas, which gave us a fighting chance. So honestly, I should be thanking you.”

Hyunjin found it really hard to swallow right now. “You mean it?”

Seungmin nodded and held out his hand. With a fluttery chest, Hyunjin took it and let himself be pulled. They exchanged their gratefulness to each other for being good partners and for the good matches.

Woojin and Jihyo were crowned champions, Seungmin and Chan giving them details about how to receive the trip to Jeju.

Later on, Hyunjin found himself in the middle of the group for the Yoga in the Sunset event. Jisung was leading the poses, standing way up front with a yoga mat on top of the sand, supporting his lithe body.

Minho and Dahyun were grumbling from the corner as they attempted the yoga poses, something about not having dinner and how they’d rather be stuffing their faces full of lobster right now instead of frolicking in the sand and breaking their bones. Hyunjin had to admit, the sand did feel a little comfortable. Little grains currently made themselves home in places little grains shouldn’t be.

On the other end of the spectrum, Felix and Yeonjun were practically purring from how the stretches felt nearly orgasmic. Once or twice, Hyunjin thought he heard Felix moan, but that could have been Chan and Woojin’s old bones creaking softly with age.

And then there was Seungmin who neither expressed his pleasure nor discontent, simply relaxing to the peacefulness of it all. With the way the wind sang and the waves joined in melody, Hyunjin agreed that the atmosphere felt perfect for yoga in the sunset.

But what intrigued him the most was how Seungmin held himself. Hyunjin wasn’t sure what he had expected, but it definitely wasn’t Seungmin having perfect posture and rigid lines and sharp accuracy with his mellow movements.

Hyunjin didn’t know if it was because he was desperate or because he hadn’t eaten yet, but watching Seungmin stretch in the sunlight made him positively starving. Perhaps it was the way Seungmin’s shirt would ride up when Jisung instructed them to reach to the sky, revealing what seemed to be a very pretty waistline. And Hyunjin was no peeping tom, but Seungmin was stationed just two people ahead of him, which gave him a really good view of the younger man. And seeing Seungmin stretched to full length had his breath quickening.

“You’re staring quite hard, you know.”

Hyunjin looked beside him as he extended his limbs out. Jeongin was doing the same, albeit with a little difficulty. He reminded Hyunjin of a tiny boy stuck in a gangly body, perhaps unfamiliar with his long limbs and lanky figure. He also had a mischievous smirk that didn’t match his otherwise angelic face.

“I’m not staring at anyone,” Hyunjin lied easily. “If anything, I should find it weird that you’re staring at me.”

“Don’t play coy. If I didn’t mention it, I’m sure a fly would have flown into your mouth,” Jeongin snickered, his sharp eyes glinting as if he knew something that Hyunjin didn’t. “Seungmin doesn’t bite. He’s all bark, and when it comes down to it, he’s really soft.”

“Who said anything about Seungmin?” Hyunjin gulped. Was he that easy to read? That someone who had known him for less than two days could spot his interest in just a couple of seconds? Or was Jeongin simply too observant for his own good?

“You two were good partners. Talk to him about photography,” Jeongin advised him. “Or singing. He likes singing.”

“Noted,” Hyunjin replied before his brain processed it. Jeongin was shaking with laughter, and Hyunjin looked away to cover his embarrassment.

Despite the chatter from the beachside, Jisung’s voice boomed from his tiny body, ordering everyone to _try your damn best to do the extended triangle pose or I’ll go over there and do it for you._

Hyunjin rolled his eyes. No way that little twink could do more than move someone’s finger. If that. Nonetheless, he stretched his legs apart, touched the ground with one hand and strained his other into the sky. Sooner or later, his eyes would gravitate towards Seungmin. It was almost as if his eyes had a mind of their own.

Seungmin had his legs spread out evenly, his legs tightening against the fitted shorts that encompassed his ass quite nicely. His arms made a straight vertical line from the sand to the clouds. He was performing the pose with such ease that Hyunjin wondered if Seungmin did yoga, and considering Jisung was the one leading the group and Seungmin was his best friend, perhaps the two did these physical practices together frequently.

He was so immersed in tracing Seungmin’s beautiful lines with his eyes that he didn’t notice the other man looking back in concentration. Seungmin’s gaze was disarming. It made Hyunjin unsettled and flushed at the same time. And while Hyunjin prided himself in being able to read people and adapt to the situation easily, there was something about Seungmin’s presence that had Hyunjin properly discombobulated.

Shaking himself, Hyunjin looked down and tried to ignore the heat rising up (or in this case creeping down) to his neck. Though it was only a few seconds, Hyunjin felt as if Seungmin was analyzing him, a cross between _why is this weirdo ogling my body up and down?_ and genuine interest.

The rest of the hour went by in the same fashion, with Hyunjin trying to keep his lustful appreciation discreet and silent. Except when it was time for the downward dog position, Hyunjin couldn’t contain the quiet mewl that escaped his lips after seeing Seungmin bent so tightly with his bottom in the air.

A teenager by his side gave him a judgmental look, but Hyunjin was never one to back down from a fight. Fifteen year old or fifty year old, it was all fair game.

“What are you looking at, twerp?” Hyunjin spat out with narrowed eyes. The boy looked no older than fourteen.

“A pervert,” the teen replied immediately with a snotty voice and a smug look on his face. Hyunjin gasped.

“Listen here, birdbrain,” Hyunjin struggled as he pointed an accusatory finger at the teenager. The boy had fluffy cheeks that made him look harmless. “Call me pervert one more time, and I’m going to skin your nutsack and feed you to the sharks.”

This seemed to do the trick as he groaned about _fucking boomers_ before blowing him a raspberry but stayed silent nonetheless. Hyunjin stuck his tongue out back at him, making him ridiculously childish. At 26, Hyunjin wasn’t even close to being a Boomer. This was outright slander!

They finish a few more poses, much to the dismay of Minho and Dahyun who could be heard whining from where they were located. If possible, Felix and Yeonjun were even more obnoxious with the intimate sounds coming from their mouths. Hyunjin only paid attention to Seungmin though, who stayed poise in his stretching.

At the end, Jisung thanked the group with an excessive bow and mentioned that dinner in the restaurant was ready for anyone who wanted any. Apparently, they also had unlimited food, which made Hyunjin wonder just how much Changbin and Jisung’s families spent on this week-long gathering. Dahyun skipped away with Chaeyoung in tow while Felix and Seungmin lagged behind.

“I’ll get rid of Felix,” Jeongin winked at him. “And then you can sweep your mans.”

“He’s not my mans!” Hyunjin replied, but the younger man was already marching towards the pair like a man on a mission. Not wanting to let Jeongin’s efforts go to waste, Hyunjin hurried towards the other two and greeted Seungmin while Jeongin pulled Felix by the collar.

“You looked so good stretching,” Hyunjin blurted. Seungmin froze and stared at him with a raised eyebrow. “That came out wrong. I meant, like, you know, you’re good at yoga. Err- have you done yoga before?”

Seungmin blinked at him. “Is there a reason for this conversation?”

They were interrupted before Hyunjin could answer, however.

“Don’t talk to that pervert!”

Hyunjin pressed his lips together. He knew that snotty voice. Sure enough, the same chubby-cheeked teenager that was bugging him earlier was passing by.

“Don’t talk to him, he said he was going to feed me to the sharks!”

“WHY YOU LITTLE-“ the boy ran away before Hyunin could choke him. Seungmin watched the commotion in amusement, and Hyunjin shrank from the sudden display of aggression on his part.

“You told him you were going to feed him to the sharks?” Seungmin asked with a twitch of his lips.

Well, might as well make himself look bad again. It wasn’t as if he was a pro at being the most eloquent in front of Seungmin anyway. Why not just flush his chances down the drain?

“He called me a pervert, so I said if he called me that one more time, I would skin his nutsack and feed him to the shark.”

Seungmin gave him an open-mouthed stare. Hyunjin gulped. He supposed this was the beginning of the end. But then Seungmin was chortling, the uncontrollable type that made each laugh end with a squeak. His actions were turning heads, and Hyunjin wasn’t sure whether he should feel proud of making Seungmin laugh or sheepish upon the unwanted attention.

Instead, Hyunjin tilted his head and paid the rest of the people no mind. Was what he said even funny?

“Sorry,” Seungmin managed in between lungful breaths after calming down. “That kid is just really annoying and got what he deserved.”

“I take it you think I’m funny?” Hyunjin waggled his eyebrows.

“Don’t push your luck,” Seungmin deadpanned.

“Alright, alright,” Hyunjin giggled with his hands up in surrender. “Who was that anyway?”

“That was one of Jisung’s cousins. Irritating little dunderhead,” Seungmin explained. “He always gets me into trouble. Why’d he call you a pervert anyway?”

Hyunjin gulped. Seungmin was watching him expectantly, but Hyunjin couldn’t exactly mention how he was basically eyeing him up and down or was practically disrobing him with his mind.

“That’s not important,” Hyunjin rubbed the back of his neck. “Why don’t we get some dinner? I heard there was lobster?”

Hyunjin pulled him by the wrist but Seungmin shook his hand away. “I can walk fine by myself, thank you. And lobster? What gave you that idea?”

It turned out that there wasn’t, in fact, any lobster. There were, however, a ton of softshell crab that was bathed in butter, a mountain of mussels that were begging to be pried open, and possibly every type of shrimp known to mankind.

Suffice it to say that though Hyunjin’s hunger was satisfied, his thirst was yet to be alleviated. And it was fast becoming a stone-cold fact that only Kim Seungmin would be able to quench it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 2 of BINSUNG WEDDING WEEK EXTRAVAGANZA is finished! What do you think so far?!
> 
> Comments and kudos are very much appreciated! If you like this story, please give it a thumbs up! If you have comments, please don't hesitate to post in the comment section!
> 
> Follow me on my twitter [@seungminhot](https://twitter.com/seungminhot)


	3. Mellow Monday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A mellow chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Completely unedited. Slightly late. Hope you enjoy anyway!

Hyunjin woke up sore.

With the way he avoided the gym like the plague, it made sense that a full day of beach volleyball got him aching even if the bit of yoga did relax his muscles after all the exercise. This was probably why Monday had very pleasant activities designed to unwind like Spa Day and Couple’s Horseback Riding.

Hyunjin chose to skip breakfast that day. He knew that it was best to not eat an hour before or after going to the spa, so he simply changed to removable clothing and left his room. Unlike yesterday, Seungmin was not there across him. Sighing, he took the elevator to the spa room which was located on the first floor.

The room was rather large, bigger than what Hyunjin expected a spa room to be like. Then again, Hyunjin had never been to one before, so he didn’t really have the best knowledge about these things. Even the waiting room was calm and clean. White tiles lined against the walls, lounge chairs pushed up against the edges. A distinctly feminine aroma wafted in the air, flowery, sweet, and pleasant. There was a counter decorated with a fancy vase that had two clerks sitting behind a computer.

“Good morning,” Hyunjin greeted one of the clerks. “I’m here for the Seo-Han Wedding Spa Day event?”

“Good morning! May I have your name please?” She blinked up at him, the shade of her eyeshadow complimenting the red of her lipstick.

Hyunjin gave her his information, and the clerk made sure he was one of the guests for the wedding before giving him a medical questionnaire to fill out and a sly wink to go with it. Apparently, the survey was a way to determine whether some of the special equipment or luxuries would be harmful for the customers. Deeming him suitable for everything they offered, Hyunjin was pointed towards a hallway that led to the different rooms of the spa, but not without the concierge’s subtle flirting, which Hyunjin chose to ignore and laugh off instead.

There were massage rooms, a steam room, a room for manicure/pedicure & facials, rooms with hydrotherapy and whirlpool tubs, rooms with Vichy showers, a sauna, and other fancy rooms that Hyunjin couldn’t be bothered to remember.

He discarded his clothes in the male locker room, leaving only his underwear on and opting for a towel around his waist and a robe so he could walk around the hallways without feeling too exposed. Hyunjin’s first stop was the steam room as he needed for one of the massage rooms to open up. It looked like the guests were absolutely taking advantage of the event from the couple as the whole place was a little busy. As soon as he entered after hanging his robe by the doorway, intense, _moist_ heat immediately pressurized his body. It was burning. Inside the steam room were panels upon panels upon panels of wood, making up wooden benches and wooden walls and wooden ceilings and wooden everything. A wood-paneled electric stove sat in the center, heating a pile of smooth stones.

On one side of the room were Soobin and Yeonjun sitting closely, eyes closed and holding hands despite the warmth sticking to their body like molasses. On the other was Seungmin, clad in nothing but a towel on his narrow waist while Felix was behind him and worked on his shoulders. Sweat was glistening off the both of them like bulbous crystals, sliding down every once in a while, or whenever Felix pushed a little too much pressure on the knots in Seungmin’s upper back.

Wow, it was blazing in here, and it had nothing to do with the heat sizzling off the stones.

Not wanting to disrupt either pair, Hyunjin decided to befriend Woojin who was peacefully enjoying the warmth the steam room had to offer.

“May I sit here?” Hyunjin motioned towards the empty spot.

Woojin regarded him with a casual smile and a nod. The wood was hot, but not so hot that it burned, just enough to relax his muscles and soothe his sore body. He almost thought that he released a contented sigh, but after a closer inspection, it was to realize that the sound came from Seungmin. The younger male had his head tilted down as Felix pressed his fingers on Seungmin shoulder’s blades and back.

Hyunjin almost wished he was in Felix’s position right now. _Almost._

“Looks good, doesn’t it?” Woojin commented from beside him, his voice thick and warm like honey. “Felix is a really good massager.”

“I see that.”

And Hyunjin could. He saw how Seungmin’s body shivered whenever Felix’s hands pressed just the right amount, eliciting a gasp that mimicked the hissing stones. He saw how Seungmin’s eyes were closed and would flutter when Felix worked at his squarish shoulders, kind of like how the rocks would crackle when Woojin poured a little water on it. He heard Seungmin’s groans, how it filled the room like the steam coming off the rocks, heavy and warm and creeping in all at the same time, brushing close to Hyunjin but dissipating when Hyunjin reached out.

It sounded so sensual that Hyunjin felt dirty just listening to the two of them.

“If you want a massage that bad, just ask him,” Woojin drawled.

“Hmm?” Hyunjin turned to him, feeling a different type of heat climbing up his cheeks. “Oh, no. I-I don’t want a massage.”

Woojin’s eyebrow shot up. “With the way you were watching, I could’ve sworn you wanted one.”

Hyunjin’s first instinct was to laugh. So he did. Loudly. Catching everyone’s attention in the steam room. Yeonjun and Soobin turned their heads simultaneously in an eerie fashion. Felix’s hands stopped mid-press, his thumbs slightly digging into Seungmin as the two looked at Hyunjin in confusion.

“N-No,” Hyunjin stammered under the unwanted attention. “I was just curious as to how it worked. I’m getting one after this, so I wanted to know what I was in for.”

Woojin hummed. Soobin and Yeonjun closed their eyes and tilted their heads to the ceiling once more. Felix gave him a slight smile before working on Seungmin again. Seungmin blinked at him then completely disregarded him when Felix dug into his lower back. With their attention divided, it felt like Hyunjin could breathe again.

It wasn’t until now that he became aware of the fact that this was the first time he had seen Seungmin’s torso. The younger man was usually conservative with the way he dressed, covering nearly all of his upper body with clothes. This thought alone had Hyunjin warmer than the steam room.

Seungmin’s shoulders looked taut, much like his whole torso. His skin was tight, and Hyunjin noticed the way light muscles were carved in his body. He sported brown nipples, completely different from Hyunjin’s dark pink ones. A crunch of abs formed with the way he curved forward, giving Felix maximum access, his arms tensing when the lilac-haired male would exert force on the ridges of his lean body.

Feeling the heat travel down, Hyunjin instantly stood up and left the room in a hurry. He hoped it wasn’t too weird, but he had to get out of there. It was absolutely suffocating watching Seungmin get felt up but not be allowed to touch him. He only hoped he spent enough time in there for one of the massage rooms to open up. Suffice it to say that the steam room definitely lived up to its name.

Fortunately for him, a masseuse was free in the second massage room he entered. A skinny man clad in all white stood by the bed, long and gangly and looking like he was waiting for his shift to finish. He didn’t look much older than Hyunjin himself.

“Good morning,” the masseuse greeted with hands in front of him. “How may I help you today?”

“Can I get a massage?”

“Of course. Which package?”

Hyunjin blanched. There were packages? There were different types of massages? “Uh, this is my first time getting a massage. Any recommendations?”

The male had a few suggestions, but Hyunjin ultimately decided with a Swedish massage as the masseuse mentioned it was the best fit for beginners. The session started with the masseuse (whose name started with K but Hyunjin couldn’t quite hear) lubricating Hyunjin’s skin with massage oil. He was fully nude but with a towel on his backside to cover his private area. And while Hyunjin wasn’t particularly against showing skin, it was the intimate touch that had him a little shy and a lot nervous.

Hyunjin stayed still and tried his very best to not make a peep as the masseuse worked his body, who performed various massage strokes that focused on effleurage, tapotement, and petrissage. When the kneading got a bit rough, Hyunjin had to politely ask him to be a gentler as his pain tolerance was embarrassingly low. After the adjustment, he found that a Swedish massage was pure heaven. The masseuse pressed on his arms and legs lightly, rubbed down his muscles in smooth strokes, rapidly chopped at Hyunjin’s lower and upper back until Hyunjin nearly moaned. A scented candle provided low light and calming flowery smell, the perfect ambience to fall asleep to. And he almost did until the masseuse had alerted him that his fifty minutes was up.

Relaxed, Hyunjin made his way to the facial room. Minho was already in there getting his nails filed while mint green cream was drying on his face. Hyunjin chose the treatment Minho was getting, and they were able to chat while both had whatever facial dry on their face.

“I gotta say,” Hyunjin snorted while the worker filed his nails. “I’ve never seen you look better.”

Minho rolled his eyes. “Funny. Say that shit again, and I’ll tell Seungmin about that one time you peed your pants when you were thirteen.”

Hyunjin gasped. “You wouldn’t! You promised never to bring that up again!”

The other male simply laughed, always finding so much joy in the misery of others (read: Hyunjin’s). “Desperate times call for desperate measures.”

Hyunjin sighed. He needed new friends.

This room was far different from the massage room. It was brighter and more open, decorated with flowers and looking neat without being minimalist. Under the fluorescent lights, Hyunjin and Minho discussed the former’s private matters. Mainly the ones concerning Seungmin.

“I mean, at least you got to see him shirtless. Now you don’t have to conjure up fake images at night while you try to go to sleep.”

“I don’t think about him at night!” Hyunjin retorted. Minho narrowed his eyes at him, and Hyunjin felt scrutinized. “Much…”

Minho smirked, correct as he usually was. Thankfully, the older male didn’t continue teasing Hyunjin about it. “Let’s figure out a way to get you to notice him more.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Hyunjin tried to grin but the hardening cream made it difficult to do so. All he managed was pursing his lips like a duck. “I have a plan.”

✽❀✿❀✽

The plan was simple.

The plan was so, very simple.

The plan was this. Attend surfing class. Impress Seungmin with his surfing skills. Sweep him off his feet. Live happily ever after. But like all plans, there came up variables unaccounted for that ultimately led to said plan’s downfall. Today, these variables came in the form of a bloated head and the unforgiving sea. More on that later. For now, Hyunjin was going batshit insane at how good Seungmin (and the surfing coach who only covered their lower half and left their muscular torso out on display) looked in their surfing gear.

Fuck.

_Fuck._

Hyunjin was no pervert, but he had to admit that the image of Seungmin in a wetsuit must be the eighth wonder of the world, with Chan and Minho coming in ninth and tenth respectively. Seungmin’s lithe frame was pronounced by the tight neoprene, his long limbs looking even longer with how the material quite literally clung to his figure. His light brown hair looked golden under the early afternoon sun. Each time he stretched to the right or to the left, his wetsuit would pull against pelvis and thighs, leaving very, very, _very_ little to the imagination. And Hyunjin had a wild one.

There weren’t many folks who attended this event, mostly just teenagers and younger adults. It seemed this type of thing was more popular with the newer generation. Numerous surfboards were laid sporadically by the beachside, but not so far out that the instructor’s voice would not be able to reach it. Each board was marked on its “bouncing spot”, which Hyunjin knew was just the center of the board, and an “eye line” where a person’s eyes must be about parallel to when laying on the board and paddling the waters.

Seungmin’s body made slight curves where he laid on his chest, the bright blue board a blinding contrast to his navy wetsuit. It wasn’t until they had to do the “slide up” technique that Hyunjin truly needed to get a grip on himself. The instructor showed them how to pop up while lying face down on the board, and since Hyunjin already knew how to surf, he figured peeping on Seungmin was a better use of his time. Watching Seungmin get into push-up position before he curved his upper torso up to prepare for the “slide up” had Hyunjin bothered in the least innocent way.

“You should really just stick next to him instead of watching from afar like a stalker,” Minho piped up from the side.

Hyunjin ignored him. After a couple minutes of practicing, it was becoming obvious that not very many people were accustomed to surfing. It wasn’t too difficult to glide his legs up quickly, shifting his body from push up position to surfing position. He’d done this many, many times. Along with Woojin, Chaeyoung, Chan, and Felix, Hyunjin was one of the few who were able to perform it well.

Minho, Yeonjun, and Jihyo struggled to maintain their balance after the switch. Soobin’s long body was at a pure disadvantage here. Seungmin and Dahyun had a hard time pushing themselves up to surfing position. Jeongin was simply a lost cause.

So when it was time to showcase what they learned, no more than ten people were confident enough to actually try it out at sea while the rest felt too shy to go out there and make a fool out of themselves. One of the people trying it on the shallow waters was Hyunjin, of course, but one that he didn’t expect was Seungmin.

The people went out in twos, the first pair being Woojin and Jihyo. Chaeyoung and someone Hyunjin wasn’t familiar with were next, and then Chan and Felix. It was Hyunjin and Minho after, followed by Seungmin and Jisung’s sister.

For people who didn’t really surf, Woojin and Jihyo were decent, riding waves that should have been a little difficult for beginners. They both were knocked off their boards on the second time though, when a larger one caught them slightly off guard. Though Hyunjin assumed Woojin fell on purpose after seeing his girlfriend get caught in the water.

Chaeyoung was surprisingly good, though that should have come as no surprise seeing as people with a lower center of gravity had the upper hand in surfing. Her partner was an absolute professional, performing some cool little tricks that worked perfectly for these small-to-mid-sized waves.

It wasn’t until Chan and Felix’s turn that Hyunjin felt nervous. Chan had gotten a lot better since the last time they had surfed all those years ago. He carried out some sweet moves like carving and cutbacks with such ease. Felix as well, driving up to the top of the wave before maneuvering around and riding out the white water closer to shore. Hyunjin took note of how Seungmin would cheer his friends on, yelling even though he was certain that the two Australians at sea heard nothing but the rushing wind and water. Nevertheless, Hyunjin wanted Seungmin to cheer for him too.

Even Minho, who was standing by his side, wolf-whistled at how well Chan and Felix handled the waves. He supposed surfing probably came second nature to Australians, so he was at a severe disadvantage here. In any case, after Chan and Felix rode close to shore, Hyunjin and Minho paddled to the far side of the water.

Hyunjin loved it. He enjoyed the saltiness of the water as it playfully sprayed against his face. The heat from the sun from the open sky was a direct contrast to the slight chill of the seawater. Even paddling offshore felt good on Hyunjin’s arms. The thrill of it was what Hyunjin liked most about surfing, waiting patiently for a nice-looking wave before sliding up his board and traveling with it. All waves were unique, possessing varying strength and height and _touch_. This game of drive and ride was a specific language between sea and soul, and every conversation caused a ripple in different angles along the surface.

Finding a good wave to mount, Hyunjin prepared himself and read its direction before angling his body and board so that he could perform a cutback. The trick propelled him once he was on the white water, rushing against the wind and on top of the world. Hyunjin traveled with the sea, the roar of wind and water heavy on his ears. And yet, he imagined Seungmin’s voice cheering him on anyway. He fantasized squinting and seeing Seungmin jumping up and down on the beachside, but Hyunjin was much too far to form any kind of clear picture.

If he strained his eyes enough, he could see the tall hotel building and the line of palm trees against the green mountains. Seeing a small figure that looked a lot like Seungmin, Hyunjin felt energized to take on the next challenge. He floated around and waited for a big one. On the next wave, he attempted something he hadn’t yet perfected.

Popping up on his board, Hyunjin maneuvered to increase his speed and then approached the top of the wave. He attacked the steep slope and projected half the board on the lip of the wave. With a twist of his body, he drove his board dramatically down towards the wave without losing momentum. For a second, the thrill of having succeeded excited him, but it seemed the tail of his surfboard caught too much water. And before he could steady himself, the wave barreled him into the water and Hyunjin was submerged. Saltwater immediately pressured him as the wave rolled him under. Disoriented, Hyunjin held his breath and attempted to figure out which way was up from down. Seconds later, Hyunjin resurfaced with a gasp and looked around only to have another wave crash into him.

Instead of fighting the water, Hyunjin let himself be thrown, emerging once more and swimming towards his stray surfboard. He was on autopilot now, adrenaline rushing as he paddled back into the shallow water and eventually to shore.

It felt like a lifetime before he reached the hot sand, and a couple of people immediately crowded into him. The instructor had asked if he was alright. Chan had pushed his way close to Hyunjin and kneeled. Minho also came clambering through. Even Soobin and Yeonjun were there. The one who surprised him most was Seungmin, who was bent right over Chan and looking more worried than he had any right to be. Not that Hyunjin minded, it was simply doing too much for his fragile heart.

“I’m alright,” Hyunjin answered. Though he wasn’t sure if that was to appease his friends or himself. In any case, he truly was alright physically. But his confidence had definitely taken a toll. When everyone was certain that he was good, Seungmin and Jisung’s sister took to the water. Though Seungmin wasn’t a natural, Hyunjin clapped when he saw how he was able to find balance despite the difficulties he faced during the surfing lessons.

“Oh my god,” Minho snickered, shaking the water off his hair. “I can’t believe you’re this whipped already. It’s only been two days.”

“And a half,” Hyunjin added. He thought that half made a ton of difference. Regardless, he applauded Seungmin’s efforts and even ran up to congratulate him when he finally came back from surfing. Though he didn’t do much other than just gliding along with the waves, that was still enough to melt Hyunjin already-weak bones.

“You were so good!” Hyunjin commented when he approached Seugnmin.

Seungmin crinkled his nose playfully. “Are you being sarcastic?”

“I don’t know. Am I?” Hyunjin waggled his eyebrows. When Seungmin rolled his eyes, Hyunjin giggled and pulled him along to the rental storehouse. “I was being serious. You really were good. Want to have a late lunch together?”

Seungmin blinked at him, looking around first as if to assess the situation, before giving in and going with Hyunjin. “Alright. But let me shower first. I feel sticky.”

Hyunjin had a hard time holding himself back from roaring with triumph or pumping his fist in the air. His hand was halfway up when Hyunjin tried to play it off as if he was stretching.

“I’m gonna shower too, then. In my room, I mean.”

Seungmin snorted. “Yeah, obviously. Where else would you shower?”

Hyunjin chose not to answer. After all, rhetorical questions need no reply anyway.

Since their rooms were just across each other, Hyunjin dropped off Seungmin and took a shower himself. And if he scrubbed his body a little too harshly and spent a little more time on his hair and applying a midday skincare routine, that was for Hyunjin’s knowledge only.

Late lunch with Seungmin was uneventful, as they didn’t really have much to talk about. Perhaps once they get a bit more comfortable with each other, Hyunjin could pry some information from him. Like how his college experience was. Or if he liked taller boys or shorter boys. And how he took his coffee. Or if he preferred lean bodies or muscular ones. And if he was a dog person or a cat person. And if he craved Hyunjin’s attention as much as Hyunjin did his.

The only eventful part of the lunch was when Seungmin pointed out there was a bit of bread on his face. And Seungmin’s hand twitched as if he was about to reach out and rub it off Hyunjin’s chin. Hyunjin was certain of it. But the touch never came, and Hyunjin reluctantly wiped at where Seungmin pointed.

“Did I get it?” Hyunjin asked innocently, making sure to showcase his dimples on full display.

Seungmin nodded, lips tight.

And then the moment was ruined when Minho and Chan joined the table.

✽❀✿❀✽

Like the beach volleyball event, participants also had to pick who they wanted to ride with for the Couple’s Horseback Riding event. And because Minho wanted him to have a good week, he stole Chan before the blonde could get close to Seungmin. It gave Hyunjin the opening to make a beeline for Seungmin and demand they be partners. Unlike the last couple of times, Seungmin didn’t at all seem reluctant at being stuck together. If anything, he seemed almost excited if the way he nodded eagerly and gave Hyunjin a crescent-eyed smile were anything to go by.

And that, Hyunjin supposed, was a victory in and of itself.

The actual horse was larger than Hyunjin expected. Yet Seungmin climbed up with ease as if he’d done this many times. And maybe he had! Hyunjin still wasn’t familiar with Seungmin’s history.

“C’mon,” Seungmin commanded with a roll of his eyes. And when Hyunjin refused to move, he added, “Don’t tell me you’re scared of riding a horse.”

“M’not,” Hyunjin fidgeted. He refused to look up at Seungmin. “I just don’t want to fall.”

“Well, err. You can hold onto me if you want.”

Hyunjin blinked up at him. Seungmin had trouble maintaining eye contact, finding the sea particularly fascinating while Hyunjin examined the boy’s face for any apprehension. All he saw was the faint hint of color on his face, though that could have been the late afternoon glow that surrounded Seungmin like a halo. The younger male held out his hand, Hyunjin glancing at that, then at Seungmin’s face, then back at it again. Pressing his lips together, Hyunjin threw all caution out the window and let himself be pulled. Seungmin was surprisingly strong despite his lean figure.

Finding a comfortable position behind Seungmin was a challenge, but he managed to find an arrangement that didn’t put any strain on his body, just his beating heart and rapidly melting brain. Being centimeters away from Seungmin was undoing him from the inside out. Clearing his throat, Seungmin took Hyunjin’s arms and settled them around his torso.

“Grab my waist so you don’t fall.”

Hyunjin didn’t need to be told twice. In fact, he didn’t need to be told at all. Hyunjin tightened his hold on Seungmin, whose waist felt quite narrow compared to his wide, bony shoulders. Seungmin’s body was a lot more toned than Hyunjin imagined, a little more solid to touch than it looked from the outside. Hyunjin leaned forward a bit, reveling in the smell of fresh cotton, sun cream, and the sun.

“You a professional horse rider?”

“No,” Seungmin shrugged. “But I know enough. Hold tight.”

The breeze instantly rushed against Hyunjin’s face after Seungmin yanked at the horse. Waves surged against the sand in ripples, creeping further and further in but not enough to erase the hoof prints the horse left in its wake, before rolling back to sea.

Above the sea, the sun started its steady descent, working its way to dip down into the deep part of the water as if ready to take a swim. The air was thick as they went, sea and salt lingering in the general vicinity.

They were one of the last ones to leave because of Hyunjin. Up ahead, horses upon horses were trotting with couples on top of their backs. Soobin sat behind Yeonjun, caging him in as he struggled with the reins. Woojin and Jihyo looked as if they did this in their spare time, sitting calmly as their bodies moved in tandem with the motion of horseback riding.

“So. This event. Your idea or Chan’s?”

Seungmin snorted. “Guess.”

Frowning, Hyunjin considered the possibilities. Sure, Chan was more into exercising, but he was also very romantic. Or at least, more of a romantic than Seungmin seemed to be.

“Chan’s.”

Seungmin made a buzzer noise. “Wrong. It was mine. Chris oversaw foods and physical activities. I was in charge of the rest.”

Hyunjin nodded dumbly. Were there, in fact, romantic bones in Seungmin’s body? If so, Hyunjin wanted to know for sure. Feeling bold, he settled his chin on Seungmin’s shoulder. The younger tensed immediately, and Hyunjin would be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy the way Seungmin’s body became taut where they touched.

“Wh-What are you doing?” Seungmin inquired.

“Just making myself comfortable,” Hyunjin nearly purred in his ear. He knew he had to push it, but not so much that it would scare poor Seungmin away. He had to be inviting but let enough space for Seungmin to get familiar and reciprocate. “Your chin is, like, the perfect height. Hope it’s okay!”

“It’s no problem.”

After a few minutes of riding, it was noticeable that some folks were not as used to riding as the others. Jeongin and Felix screamed every now and then when their horse made surprising turns, making Chaeyoung and Dahyun shriek when the other two got a bit too close for their comfort.

Pairs and pairs participated in the event, both from Jisung’s side of the family and Changbin’s side. Though Hyunjin supposed, in just a few days, Changbin’s family and Jisung’s family would be one and the same.

“Do you think they’re ready?” Hyunjin found himself asking.

“Jisung and Changbin?”

Hyunjin nodded.

“Why? Are you going to interject when the officiant says, ‘speak now or forever hold your peace?’”

Seungmin’s officiant voice had a thick tone that sounded completely ridiculous. Hyunjin’s laugh buzzed in the afternoon air, and bubbliness spilled over to Seungmin who then laughed along with him.

“Of course not,” Hyunjin answered, tilting his head so he could see a little bit of Seungmin. “I just want to make sure Changbin will be well taken care of.”

Seungmin stilled, turning to face Hyunjin from where he made base on the younger’s shoulder. “You don’t think my best friend is good enough for him?”

“I- That’s not what I meant,” Hyunjin frowned. This was definitely not how he wanted this conversation to go. Not that he planned it or anything, but still, he was badly failing at being a good ex-boyfriend. “I just don’t want him getting his heart broken in the long run, you know?”

Seungmin hummed.

“I know. But I’ve third-wheeled long enough to see firsthand how good they are for each other. Don’t get me wrong, they’re not perfect.” Seungmin looked back, a ghost of a smile on his pretty face. Hyunjin followed suit. Just behind them were Changbin and Jisung, the younger sitting with both legs on one side like a princess on a pony. Changbin had one hand on the reins while the other supported Jisung’s back, whose hands were wrapped around the elder’s neck for support. It was a lovely picture to say the least. “But if I had to bet my money on good love, on supportive, selfless, _genuine_ love, I’d bet on them.”

Hyunjin let the silence soak up the heaviness of the moment before lightening it. He wasn’t sure why he found himself trusting Seungmin’s words, despite the fact that just a week ago, he had never even laid eyes on the other male before.

“You mean you’re not going to bet on us?”

Seungmin sighed tiredly.

“I hate it here.”

They rode in silence after that, Seungmin content in steering the horse while Hyunjin was at peace with his chin hooked over the younger’s shoulder. The sky was a gradient of pinks and blues, and the sea reflected the late afternoon glow in its waves. The wind was picking up, the temperature settling down, and Hyunjin was more than grateful that he had the idea to bring appropriate outerwear. He was also thankful that he had Seungmin to share body heat with.

Grinning, he whispered to Seungmin. “You don’t hate it here.”

Leaves rustled against the steadiness of the wind, but they were much too flimsy to put up much of a fight. They weren’t strong to begin with. Beachside chatter settled down as their surroundings began to dim. The loudest sounds were the crashing of waves against the shorefront and Hyunjin and Seungmin’s steady breathing.

“No, I don’t.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 3 of BINSUNG WEDDING WEEK EXTRAVAGANZA is finished! What do you think so far?!
> 
> Comments and kudos are very much appreciated! If you like this story, please give it a thumbs up! If you have comments, please don't hesitate to post in the comment section!
> 
> Follow me on my twitter [@seungminhot](https://twitter.com/seungminhot)


	4. THIS CHAPTER IS SCRATCHED

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> DON'T READ THIS CHAPTER!! SKIP TO THE NEXT ONE!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DON'T READ THIS CHAPTER!! SKIP TO THE NEXT ONE!!

DON'T READ THIS CHAPTER!! SKIP TO THE NEXT ONE!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DON'T READ THIS CHAPTER!! SKIP TO THE NEXT ONE!!


	5. Tango Tuesday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone! I decided not to continue the route it was going and redid chapter 4! So if you read chapter 4 already,,,,, uh delete it from your minds. Lol. I'll leave the chapter there for now because some of y'all left some nice comments, and I don't want those to be deleted lol.

“What do you say, noodle boy?” Seungmin smirked as he twirled the table tennis racket in his hand. “Best 5 out of 9?”

“You’re on.”

The morning was scheduled for Game Room Entertainment. And sure enough, the majority of the event’s attendee age group seemed to be teenagers and young adults. Some teenagers were in the line of Skee-Ball, shooting balls up the alley with horrible technique. Across the room was Soobin and Yeonjun playing the basketball mini free throw game. Next to them were Chaeyoung and Dahyun whacking some moles on the Whack-a-Mole, while Jihyo and Woojin were playing an intense match on the Air Hockey table. Even Chan, Minho, Jeongin, and Felix were stuck in a fun game of Foosball. Seungmin and Hyunjin, however, were squaring off in table tennis.

Seungmin was all smiles before they began the game again, but as if a switch was flipped, his whole demeanor took up a whole new person when they finally started. Eyes sharp and lips puckered, Seungmin bounced the ping pong ball once, twice, three times before striking it with the paddle. With a loud _snap_ , the ball bounced its way to Hyunjin and the taller male returned it with even more speed. A _crack_ from Seungmin here and a _thwack_ from Hyunjin there gave Seungmin the chance to smash the ball. Like a sling, Seungmin pulled back and took a shot. Hyunjin could do nothing but watch as the ball caught the corner of the table before ricocheting away with a resounding _pop_.

Hyunjin narrowed his eyes only to see Seungmin holding the racket like a handgun and blowing at it the way shooters do in the movies.

“You’re so cocky,” Hyunjin commented.

“And you’re not?”

Hyunjin simply shook his head and braced himself for the next serve. The points generally favored Seungmin the longer they went, and it wasn’t long before Seungmin smashed an unreturnable once more and Hyunjin suffered a fifth straight loss.

Seungmin shrugged. “6 out of 11?”

Hyunjin scoffed. He was no sore loser, but he had to admit that losing five times in a row against Seungmin in table tennis was doing bad things to his confidence. He was generally good at games, but it was simply too hard to focus when he could see how tightly Seungmin gripped the handles from the corner of his eyes. “How about we play a real sport?”

Seungmin snickered. “By real sport, do you actually mean a _real sport_? Or just a game you want to beat me at.”

_Hook._

Hyunjin shook his head playfully, biting his lips. “Why not both?”

“Your pick then,” Seungmin raised his eyebrow.

_Line._

Hyunjin made a show of looking around and settling on a Skee-Ball. “How about that? Best out of 5?”

“Deal.”

_Sinker._

Hyunjin wouldn’t say that he was sort of a prodigy when it came to Skee-Ball. But he also wouldn’t say that he isn’t. It wasn’t as if he participated in the town’s yearly Skee-Ball competition and won or anything. Or that he was a three-year consecutive champion, baby!

They ended up playing a few rounds, with Hyunjin letting Seungmin go first just to see how he played. It seemed Seungmin’s tactic was to consistently try to go for 100s. Pfft, amateur. While that wasn’t a bad play, the rewards simply weren’t worth the risks. His score was 270, hitting the 100 mark twice while the rest rolled down to 10.

“My turn!” Hyunjin chirped. He swung his arms in an exaggerated fashion, making full circular swings to loosen them up.

“Is that really necessary?” Seungmin deadpanned, crossing his arms. “It’s really not that serious.”

“Oh, but it is.”

Tucking his foot under the metal box and leaving his other foot behind him for balance, Hyunjin crouched low and rolled the balls. They consistently hit the 40 mark, a couple going to 30 while a couple went up to 50. All in all, he finished 360 which was good but far from Hyunjin’s best score.

“Told you I have a talent at handling balls.”

Seungmin tilted his head and watched him like a hawk. “You little cheat. You picked a game you knew you were good at.”

“That’s a baseless accusation. You have no proof,” Hyunjin blinked at him and smiled.

In the end, Hyunjin snatched all the wins, with the last score being 630 to 270. Seungmin seemed to take it in stride though, looking unconcerned. However, there was a part of Hyunjin that reckoned Seungmin was nothing short of the competitive type, even if he wasn’t outwardly showing it.

“I guess we’re even,” Hyunjin bragged, leaning back and trying to act cool. He thought he could see a little fire in his Seungmin’s eyes.

“Sneaky,” Seungmin eyed him with amusement. “I did wrong to underestimate you.”

Hyunjin chuckled. “That sounds more like a _you_ problem. Shall we do a tiebreaker?”

Seungmin merely smiled. “Sure. How about…”

“Darts.”

“Air Hockey.”

Hyunjin tapped his fingers. “Let’s flip a coin. Heads, we play your game. Tails, we play mine.”

“Sounds good to me,” Seungmin answered.

Hyunjin used Google’s coin flipper and it turned out heads. Seungmin fist-pumped as Hyunjin sighed. Oh well, perhaps he could cajole Seungmin into playing more games.

Air Hockey was a short affair, Seungmin easily winning three quick games with one of his arms literally placed behind his back. Though watching Seungmin hold the striker with a firm grip was definitely a good distraction, Hyunjin couldn’t chalk that up to the reason he lost. Seungmin was simply better.

“What the heck?” Hyunjin pouted as the score read 7-3. “How are you so good at this?”

“How are you so good at Skee-Ball?” Seungmin retorted.

“I was a three-year champ in our yearly Skee-Ball competition. How about you?”

Seungmin shrugged. “Jisung and I played Air Hockey a lot growing up, and we’re both very competitive. So, yeah. Three years though? That’s nice.”

“Yup!” Hyunjin nodded and made end-of-the-spectrum masculine poses. “Three-year _consecutive_ champion, baby!”

Hyunjin was able to convince Seungmin to play other games, with darts being first on the list. They did end up playing and Hyunjin did end up winning, though not by much. It was the closest match-up they’d had in the games by far. Hyunjin’s reasoning was that he took archery lessons during high school. Seungmin, on the other hand, just said he was naturally good at aiming.

“Good to know,” Hyunjin drawled, slowly licking his bottom lip. “That information will come in handy later.”

Seungmin pinched the bridge of his nose and Hyunjin laughed. He couldn’t help it! Seungmin basically walked into that one.

“How about a real tiebreaker this time,” Seungmin tried, effectively changing the subject. Hyunjin let him. He had time to tease him later anyway.

“Let’s see…” Hyunjin hummed, looking around at the game room without any bias. “There!”

On the corner was a billiards table, with Soobin and Yeonjun placing the rods and the triangular rack on top of the table after what seemed to be a good game.

“Pool?” Seungmin said incredulously.

“No,” Hyunjin humphed, turning to him with pursed lips. “Pocket billiards. Pool is for uncultured swines.”

“Did you just call me a pig?”

Hyunjin scoffed, stealing Seungmin’s wrist to pull him towards the pool table. “You’re far from uneducated. Do you play pocket billiards?”

The taller male looked back while walking, giving Seungmin his full attention. “I’m not any good at pool.”

Hyunjin sighed once they reached the table, grabbing the rack and emptying out the six pockets. “In that case, I can teach you how to play pocket billiards.”

“Great! Let’s learn some pool!”

Hyunjin rolled his eyes. Seungmin was doing it on purpose now. In any case, the two participated in a practice game where Hyunjin would help Seungmin how to shoot. This was a good game to pick as this enabled him to physically communicate with Seungmin, and he gave himself a pat on the back.

Seungmin’s first shot was horrible. So obviously, it was only right for Hyunjin to settle behind him and lead his body to the correct posture. Upper half bent low and legs apart for balance, Seungmin glanced at Hyunjin as if asking the older _like this?_ Hyunjin nodded, plucking Seungmin’s fingers on the shooting stick to get them into the correct place. One hand on Seungmin’s waist and another on his opposite shoulder, Hyunjin leaned Seungmin down to urge him to shooting position.

“Like this?” Seungmin asked, swallowing. Hyunjin let his hands travel across Seungmin’s shoulder and down to his arm, steadying it while eyeing Seungmin from the side. The younger boy looked at him through his lashes, lips slightly spread apart and resembling an angel sent down with the sole purpose to fuck with Hyunjin’s brain. With Seungmin this close, it was becoming increasingly difficult for Hyunjin to breathe.

Slowly, breathlessly, Hyunjin suggested, “Shoot your shot.”

Seungmin gulped. Hyunjin inched close, certain that his breath must be warm on Seungmin’s lips. Seungmin coughed and shook his head, planting his eyes firm on the cue ball, lining it up before striking it. With a loud click, the white ball crashed against a blue ball, causing it to rocket forward while the cue ball slowly spun in place and came to a stop.

Nervously, Seungmin turned his head. Hyunjin’s face curled into a soft smile. And just as Hyunjin was about to ask if Seungmin wanted to hang out a little more, a voice echoed across the room.

“Alright, everyone!” Chan boomed, creating a makeshift megaphone with his hands. Seungmin stood up as Hyunjin jumped back. “It’s officially 12:00 pm, which means the event has ended. But please feel free to stay as long as you want or eat lunch at the cafeteria. The next event is the dance lesson which is happening at the dance studio in two hours. Hope to see you there!”

The group chatter built up. Seungmin scratched his head as he faced Hyunjin once more.

“Lunch?” Hyunjin asked, offering him a dimpled smile. Seungmin licked his lips.

“I want to, but I should probably help Chris set up and organize today’s events.”

Hyunjin tried his best to not deflate. “That’s cool! I understand.”

“How about dinner tonight?”

“Dinner sounds good,” Hyunjin agreed immediately, taking what he could get. “Dinner sounds great.”

✽❀✿❀✽

It was fast becoming a thing where Seungmin and Hyunjin would partner up during events that needed to happen in pairs. Tango lessons were no exceptions. Though Seungmin and Chan were in the center of the studio in the beginning, Minho and Hyunjin were quick to get up to them once they finished the necessary introductions for the event.

“Can I have this dance?” Hyunjin bowed, holding his hand out.

Bright lights lit the room and were reflected on the shiny, wooden floor and Seungmin’s pale, brown hair. A large mirror stretched from one corner of the studio to the other, occupying one whole side of the room, and Hyunjin was positive that if he looked there right now, he’d see people looking back at him.

“It’s ‘may I,’” Seungmin snickered but took Hyunjin’s offered hand nonetheless. By their side, Chan and Minho were already bickering about being stuck together as partners _yet again_. However, there was a glint of mischief in Minho’s eyes that’s not generally present, Hyunjin could tell.

Tango lessons started with a brief history of the dance. According to the instructor, it was more than a partner dance. It was a social dance that originated some time ago in some place along the border of two South American countries. Or something. Hyunjin couldn’t focus on what was being taught, too engrossed in the possible situations they could land themselves in in the next hour or so.

It turned out there were male and female roles. And since neither Hyunjin nor Seungmin cared, they settled the roles with a game of rock, paper, scissors. In the end, Hyunjin ended up with the male parts while Seungmin took over the female’s.

It was a struggle to remember to breathe every couple of seconds. Hyunjin was focused so much on trying to keep less-than-innocent thoughts of Seungmin away that he didn’t even realize the lesson had begun, and that they were supposed to be learning counts. Seungmin explained to Hyunjin the procedure and the lesson because Seungmin was the type to listen to teachers even when distracted. Hyunjin, however.

Thankfully, the counts were easy enough to memorize: slow, slow, quick, quick, slow – five counts in four beats. This was definitely doable. The beginner steps were easy as well, being comprised of three walks forward, one side, and a drag. The female role was the complete mirror, the same amount of steps but backward, one side, and a drag.

What made it difficult was the lack of distance between them. Seungmin’s chest was mere centimeters away from Hyunjin’s, and the thought that they were only separated by a few pieces of fabric made Hyunjin a little dizzy. Hyunjin’s hand rested on Seungmin’s waist as if it belonged there, and one of Seungmin’s arms found themselves wound up around Hyunjin’s neck. And this close, Hyunjin can easily count the number of downturned lashes fanning Seungmin’s brown eyes.

It was during the lead and follow that Hyunjin was tripped up. The dance instructor went around the room giving tips for people who were having trouble leading and following. In the end, they sounded more like tips on technique and dancing than leading and following: pressing your weight forward, having your right elbow in front of the body, even using the whole spine and frame as well as lowering your knees for swifter motion.

None of that generally suggested what leading and following entailed, so Hyunjin had to wing it with Seungmin as they went.

“Have a connection,” the dance instructor advised when he got to them. “You need that connection to tango. Have that central connection, and you’ll be able to feel the lead from the other and follow it.”

Hyunjin nodded. Seungmin did too, but he looked more amused than anything.

“Feel the lead,” the instructor chanted, gesturing a gentle wave with his hands. “Say it with me: Feel the lead. Feel the lead.”

Hyunjin and Seungmin recited it, biting their lips so as not to giggle when saying it.

“Don’t you know the famous quote for tango?” The instructor inquired with a sharp eyebrow.

“That it takes two?” Seungmin answered questioningly.

“Exactly! _It takes two to tango,_ ” he said with a grin more suitable for someone who worked a sales job. “Feel the lead. Follow. And you’re both good to tango!”

The instructor waltzed away with positioned hands.

Hyunjin would like to add that he and Seungmin do have a connection. How strong that connection was and will it be enough for tango, Hyunjin wasn’t sure. At the very least, they weren’t having problems unlike other pairs around them.

Minho and Chan were already arguing about stepping on each other’s toes. Yeonjun and Soobin were actually working seamlessly, but Jihyo and Woojin seemed to be struggling with the leading and the following as they were both leaders. It seemed even gods and goddesses were imperfect. Once in a while, Hyunjin would pick up Minho commenting something particularly unnecessary, and Chan would sigh.

Hyunjin stared at Seungmin, wordlessly asking him if this was alright. Seungmin nodded, and they tangoed. Once they started dancing, however, it became obvious that they were not as good as Hyunjin thought they would be. Even though their heights complemented each other perfectly, Seungmin would go left while Hyunjin would go right. They had a central connection with clasped hands and all, but when Hyunjin would pull Seungmin to him, the other wouldn’t budge. Or was Hyunjin not pushing or pulling with enough strength? It seemed that even though they’d gone slow, slow, quick, quick, slow, they were still having problems leading and following. It was almost as if they were both distracted.

And they had every right to be. Seungmin was gorgeous up close, all smooth skin and fluffy cheeks. There was a slight tan on him, and Hyunjin had the stray thought that Seungmin’s skin was kind of like honey. He wondered if it tasted like it too. When he would smile, with flushed lips and funky teeth, Hyunjin would feel his knees buckle a little. Seungmin was equal parts soft as he was angular, his chin shape and jawline proved as much.

Coincidentally, Hyunjin wasn’t bad looking himself. He had an angular face that seemed to be sculpted by Aphrodite herself, with jet black hair that fell to his eyes in soft, straight strands. With sharp eyes, a perfect nose bridge, and lips that could bring even Angelina Jolie to tears, Hyunjin was in a good position to sweep Seungmin off his feet. But their lack of chemistry in dancing was too much of an obstacle for Hyunjin to overcome.

“I don’t think this is working,” Seungmin blurted after one too many toe-stepping from both parties. Hyunjin knew why. He could tell what their main problem was, and it was something they both needed to work on.

“Let’s switch positions,” Hyunjin suggested. “How about you lead and I follow?”

Seungmin eyed him. “You think that’d work?”

“Yes.” Hyunjin was absolutely certain. As much as they were physically compatible, Hyunjin wasn’t used to leading and it was apparent that Seungmin wasn’t the best at following either. Seungmin seemed more of a leader, and following was second nature to Hyunjin. “Better than not changing anything.”

Seungmin seemed to think so as well. With the switch in roles came a switch in hand placements. While they were still clasped on one side, Seungmin’s other hand was warm against Hyunjin’s hips and Hyunjin had his other arm around Seungmin’s shoulder. It felt more natural as well, considering he was the taller of the two. They also had to do the mirror of what they learned, but they were quick learners so it wasn’t much of a big deal.

This combo was far more ideal than the previous one. Hyunjin felt the music coursing through him, but there was a larger part that yearned to follow, to be nudged to go here or there. They were so close that each push and pull felt amplified. Seungmin pressed his weight forward, and Hyunjin easily relented. Seungmin stepped back, and Hyunjin quickly followed. It was easy, it was natural, and they definitely should have started with this role earlier.

Working in tandem, it was much easier to forget the rest of the studio. So effortless to find himself lost in the deep brown of Seungmin’s eyes. After all, everyone else and everything else was muted in comparison to Seungmin’s vibrancy.

The group danced the hour away, with Hyunjin not being able to keep his eyes off of Seungmin even when Minho would berate Chan for not leading well. Or when Felix shrieked at little too loudly when Jeongin stepped on his toe with a little too much force.

Which was why he was surprised when the dance instructor gathered their attention and announced that the lesson was nearly finished now, so all the pairs can either dance until the hour was up or whenever they felt like. For Seungmin and Hyunjin, that meant that they had six more minutes to go.

“But why?” Hyunjin asked, trying his best not to sound too whiny.

“Chris and I have to prepare the next event,” Seungmin answered as they swayed in place. All thoughts of tango were out of Hyunjin’s head when Seungmin gave him a crooked smile. They were both tangoed out. Instead, they focused more on just having a small conversation while swinging their bodies gently to the music as the world melted away around them.

Sooner than Hyunjin liked, Seungmin had to go and Hyunjin let him of course, but that didn’t stop the internal voice urging him to not let Seungmin go. To keep him here for himself, dancing the hours away until they were a puddle of sweat and hollow bones. Instead, Hyunjin watched him walk out the double doors with Chan in tow.

“Gosh,” Hyunjin muttered, turning to Minho. “I think I’m screwed.”

“You think you’re screwed or you _want_ to be screwed?”

“YAH!”

✽❀✿❀✽

Movie Night was nothing short of eye-opening.

Unfortunately for Hyunjin, he couldn’t keep his eyes open for too long. The Exorcist was scarier than Hyunjin thought it would be. And Hyunjin wouldn’t say that he was a scaredy-cat, but he was most definitely a scaredy-cat. Loud noises at night were enough to keep him awake for hours. After watching The Ring when he was a teenager, he couldn’t stay alone with a TV for too long because of flashbacks. He grew out of that though, but horror movies always left a mark on Hyunjin for a couple of days at the least. Scary movies were so creepy; Hyunjin wasn’t sure why anyone would even find joy in watching these types of things.

Unsurprisingly, he wasn’t the only one who was easily frightened. Both Jisung and Changbin were holding onto each other—Hyunjin used to think that Changbin was the most easily frightened person he’d ever met, but Seungmin swore that Jisung was even more of a scaredy-cat. Felix was already hiding behind Chan’s shoulders while the elder simply watched the movie with fascination. Like Seungmin, Jeongin and Minho were actively trying to not flinch during the jump scares, but Hyunjin knew better.

The speakers cracked with the background music, eerie and intense and picking up speed the closer it got to the frightening bits. Hyunjin knew it was coming, but that still didn’t stop his body from tensing and Seungmin flinching from the mere volume of it. That was nothing compared to Yeonjun shriek though, whose pitch was higher than Dahyun’s surprised yell.

“I’m sorry,” Hyunjin said, burrowing his face into his own hands and peeking through the slits. “This is a lot scarier than I thought.”

“I agree,” Seungmin admitted. And almost as if the world was playing a joke on Hyunjin, another jump scare occurred a mere minute after the last one. And it wasn’t Hyunjin’s intention, or maybe it was(?), but he ended up taking cover against Seungmin and clutching his wrist and forearm.

Blinking his eyes open, it was to see Seungmin looking down at him with shock, more from Hyunjin’s action than the movie that was playing. Heat crept up to Hyunjin’s cheeks and he straightened himself and let out a deep breath.

“Sorry, I don’t know what came over me,” Hyunjin said, hugging himself.

“It’s okay,” Seungmin said stoically. The lights were dim, and the scenes from the movie flashed across Seungmin’s honeyed skin. “Let’s just keep watching.”

Nodding, Hyunjin settled back into his seat. Except, Seungmin’s hand was splayed out in front of Hyunjin. When Hyunjin glanced at the other male to look for answers, it was to see Seungmin completely focused on the movie. Or at least, looking as if he was focused. He wondered what went on the younger man’s head, especially now as he took Seungmin’s hand and laced their fingers together.

Hyunjin figured that this was Seungmin’s way of comforting him or securing him so he wasn’t too scared by the movie, but there was a small part of Hyunjin that wished it was for something more, something selfish.

All the same, Seungmin’s hand was warm. His palms were rougher than Hyunjin imagined, the length of his fingers almost as long as Hyunjin’s. The spaces between Seungmin’s fingers were also nearly equal to those of Hyunjin’s, filling them up easily and perfectly.

After that, Hyunjin wasn’t scared. Not because handholding was a particularly good defense against scary movies, but because it was a huge distraction. Instead of giving the movie his full attention, Hyunjin was more concerned about his sudden awareness of Seungmin. How their arms were basically squished from shoulder to wrist. How Seungmin’s knee was digging into his. Hyunjin wondered if that was on purpose, careful not to move too much so that it wouldn’t alert Seungmin but also moving a little so as not to make himself seem like a robot.

Perhaps what grounded Hyunjin the most was the way Seungmin would squeeze his hands whenever things got particularly scary. He wondered if that was because Seungmin was scared or Seungmin was signaling to Hyunin that he was there. A few times, Hyunjin found himself concentrating on the constant pressure of Seungmin’s palms instead of watching how the scene would end.

In any case, Hyunjin was a lot less scarred than most watchers by the time the movie finished, he could tell. Because when the lights buzzed on during the credits, Jihyo was hugging Woojin’s arm while Yeonjun’s face was buried in Soobin’s neck. Felix was still hiding behind Chan’s shoulders while Dahyun had both of her hands covering her eyes. Jisung and Changbin were the worst as they were literally tangled into each other like pretzel knots.

“That wasn’t so bad, right?” Seungmin breathed out. Hyunjin nodded. It really wasn’t, and that was mostly due to Seungmin’s hands being his anchor. Speaking of, was Hyunjin supposed to let it go now? The lights were bright once more, the movie was finished, and handholding now was not necessary. Hyunjin was a selfish person though.

It wasn’t until they stood up that they finally let go of each other, much to Hyunjin’s dismay. Instead of mulling over it, he stretched his arms out and yawned.

“Sleepy?”

“No, hungry,” Hyunjin answered. “Also, didn’t you promise to join me for dinner today?”

“Did I?” Seungmin asked cheekily.

Dinner was a long affair, mostly because it wasn’t just the two of them. As soon as they sat down at the cafeteria, their friends came to sit with them one-by-one, starting with Felix and Chan.

Conversations of various topics rolled around the room, each of them chiming in whenever they thought necessary. For Soobin, Chaeyoung, and Seungmin, this meant only speaking when they had something important to say. For Felix and Yeonjun, this meant talking as loudly as they could over everyone. Chan, Jihyo, and Woojin, while not the most talkative, had a natural aura that required everyone’s attention whenever they spoke. Jeongin and Minho’s voices were often lost in the mix, while Dahyun spent more of her time laughing and making people laugh.

And while Hyunjin wanted this to be a Seungmin-and-Hyunjin thing, he was grateful that they joined. It seemed he made a lot of friends in the last few days here, even when most of his efforts were geared towards winning Seungmin over.

Despite having the group here, Hyunjin was still able to observe Seungmin up front and close. When Seungmin would laugh, it was full-bodied, open-mouthed, and crinkly-eyed. Hyunjin found himself watching Seungmin from the corner of his eyes a lot more than he generally did. But once or twice, Seungmin would look at him too, and they would share a moment of soft smiles and deep eyes as if time was frozen and they were the only ones present in the room.

Of course, the moment was always shattered whenever one of the people in the group would laugh a little too abruptly, alerting them that they were, in fact, not alone.

When nighttime came, Seungmin and Hyunjin walked to their floor together and said goodbye before entering their respective rooms. He functioned through the night on cloud nine, head in the sky as he took a shower while humming and remembered how Seungmin offered his hand during the movie. Hyunjin sighed happily. He wondered if he should have reached for it while they made their way from the restaurant to their rooms. Oh well, that was alright—there was always tomorrow.

Tomorrow will be a great day, whatever events it might hold. One look at the pamphlet on the bedside table showed that the schedule will be Bird Watching, Wine Tasting, and Midnight Karaoke. Hyunjin was excited. There were plenty of opportunities to be with Seungmin tomorrow, messing around playfully or not.

He was about to text Seungmin a good night text when he realized that he still, still didn’t get Seungmin’s phone number. Curse his inability to function whenever Seungmin was located in a five-feet radius from him.

Tomorrow, hold Seungmin’s hand more if he’s okay with it, perhaps steel a kiss from Seungmin, win his phone number, and have fun.

Today, a good night's sleep.


End file.
